This recipe from Christopher Rochelle is a little lengthy, but that’s because of his complete directions for making little fish and seasoning parcels for the grill. I love the idea of using those lovely organic corn husks and maybe you’re up for a little experimentation in the kitchen this week. Fresh corn husks are much better for grilling than the dried husks sold for tamale making. Use a firm white fish like halibut or cod.
Ingredients:
1 cup diced onion 2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 medium limes) 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed Freshly ground black pepper 3 jalapeños 4 ears corn, husks on 1 (1-pound) center-cut white fish, skinned 1 tablespoon olive oil 2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch) 1 medium lime, cut into 8 wedges
Preparation:
Place the onion, 2 tablespoons lime juice, the measured salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Stir to combine; set aside.
Stem and finely chop 1 of the jalapeños; set aside.
Trim off the silk and wispy ends of the husks, just to the tip of the ears. Slice off the stem ends of the corn so that the husks easily come away from the ears without tearing. Set aside 16 wide, untorn husks (at least 3 1/2 inches long) and discard the remaining husks. Rinse the husks in cold water and shake off the excess; set aside. Clean the silks off the ears of corn and set aside.
Cut the halibut in half horizontally. Cut each half crosswise into 4 even rectangular pieces. Rub the fish pieces all over with the olive oil and season generously all over with salt and pepper.
Place 8 of the corn husks on a work surface. Place a piece of fish lengthwise along the center of each husk, making sure the husk is curling around the fish. Evenly divide all of the finely chopped jalapeño and half of the cilantro over the tops of the fish pieces. Sprinkle each piece of fish with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining 4 teaspoons lime juice.
Cover each piece of fish with a second husk curling over and around the first husk, making sure the wide end of the top husk is covering the narrow end of the bottom husk and the fish is completely encased. (The parcels will not be tightly closed.)
Place the fish parcels cilantro-jalapeño-side up on a baking sheet or large plate and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high (about 375°F to 425°F). Place the cleaned ears of corn on the grill, cover the grill, and cook, rotating the corn a quarter turn every 2 1/2 minutes, until the outside is evenly charred and the corn is tender, about 10 minutes total. Meanwhile, place the remaining 2 jalapeños on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until blistered and charred in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes total.
When the corn and jalapeños are ready, transfer both to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and add the kernels to the reserved onion–lime juice mixture. Stem the jalapeños, finely chop, and add to the onion–lime juice mixture. Add the remaining half of the cilantro and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed; set aside.
Place the corn-husk-wrapped fish on the grill cilantro-jalapeño-side down. Cover the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip the parcels, cover the grill, and cook until the fish is just opaque, about 2 minutes more. Remove to a serving platter.
To serve, carefully remove the top corn husks from the fish. Top with the corn salsa and serve with lime wedges.