Butterflied Grilled Bass

From 'The Road to Mexico' by Rick Stein

The key to this recipe is actually the 2 salsas used on the fish, as these not only compliment the fish, but each other as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole bass, each about 350g, gutted and butterflied
• Salsa Verde
  • Handful of coriander and chive
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
  • 100-120ml olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 serrano chilli, sliced
• Chile Rojo
  • 3 dried guajillo chillies, stems and seeds removed
  • 2 ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
• To serve
  • 1 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • Squeeze of lime

Recipe:

1. To make the Salsa Verde:
   1. Put the ingredients, starting with 100ml of the oil, in a blender. Blend to a smooth sauce, then add more of the oil if necessary to loosen the mixture
2. To make the Chile Rojo:
   1. Toast the chillies in a hot dry frying pan. Put them in a bowl with 300ml of just-boiled water and leave to soften for 20 minutes.
   2. In the frying pan, char the tomato on all sides until it starts to soften, then cut it into quarters.
   3. Add oil to the pan and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomato, drained softened chillies, the oregano and cumin and cook for about 5 minutes.
   4. Put the tomato and onion mixture in a blender with 75-100ml of the chilli soaking liquid. Season with salt and blend until smooth.
3. Preheat your grill. Coat one fillet with the Salsa Verde, and the other with the Chile Rojo. Grill for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 60-62°C. Mix the sour cream with the mayo, a tablespoon of salsa verde and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve alongside the fish with some refried beans.