As some of you may recall, my husband went on his annual guys’ fishing trip at the end of the summer. Well, that was over four months ago, and there is still some fish in the freezer. This recipe was picked to help eliminate yet another bag of frozen fish filets – this time, 1 ½ pounds of triggerfish. For those of you wondering, like I did when I sat down to blog, triggerfish is ballesta in Spanish (thanks to my friends Gus and Lourdes for the translation).

And, in case you’re wondering, the fish was still good. I think the six month mark is the end of the frozen fish lifeline, I’ve heard.

I don’t know if it’s the way I’m jumping around the book lately, but this is one easy recipe. There are two key steps to this recipe: having fresh or thawed out fish ready and having your food processor clean and ready to roll.

Put the following in the food processor: a garlic clove, a cup of olive oil, a slice of onion, a cup of Peter Hill (ok, perejil, parsley, but I had to say Peter Hill like my father in law loves to say), a teaspoon of salt, two Tablespoons of vinegar and half a cup of dry white wine.

If you want to be fancy, you can add the oil like they do on TV, through that hole in the food processor while the rest of the ingredients mix away.

Then, you have salsa verde.

Once you’ve got the green sauce ready, you put the fish filets in a hot pan and cover with the green sauce. Don’t touch them.

When the sauce starts to boil, cover the pan and lower the heat to low for 15 minutes.

Serve with killer white rice and you’ve guaranteed that while the guys are all salty and gross during their next fishing trip, they’ll be thinking of this dish when they bring home the very clean and very neatly bagged fish filets. Hint, hint, honey. This one is definitely meant to be repeated.

About the blog

Inspired by Julie & Julia, I've embarked on my own project: to celebrate the Cuban kitchen -- the food, the abuelas who prepared it, and the family that gathered around the table to enjoy every bite.  For my generation -- and for my kids' generation -- I'm cooking my way through Nitza Villapol's Cocina al Minuto.  With each recipe, I'm taken back to what those housewives of my grandmother's and mother's generation must have been thinking as they tried to follow Nitza's instructions, from her books or TV program.  I hope this project moves you to learn how to cook, simply, and to bring the joy (and sofrito smell -- the smell of home frying) back into your home.  Click here to read previous posts.  Click here to read The Miami Herald article on my journey. ¡Buen Provecho!