Red Snapper Acapulco Princess

Named after the famous Acapulco Princess hotel, this is resort-style seafood dining you can pull off in your kitchen in half an hour. Red snapper fillets sit in a bath of white wine and lemon juice, topped with a mousse of chopped shrimp, bay scallops, wilted spinach, cream, and toasted bread cubes, then microwaved under waxed paper until the fish is flaky and the topping is set.

The seafood mousse is what makes this special. Egg white binds the finely chopped shrimp and whole bay scallops with cream-soaked bread into a stuffing that holds together on top of the fillets during cooking. It’s essentially a classic French seafood mousseline simplified for a weeknight.

Wilting the spinach in the microwave for just one minute is smart. It collapses two cups of raw spinach into a manageable amount, squeezes out excess moisture, and creates a bed that insulates the bottom of the fish from the hot dish.

The wine and lemon juice do more than flavor the fish. They create steam under the waxed paper cover, which gently poaches the snapper from below while the mousse topping cooks from the microwave’s direct heat above. Five to six minutes on high is all it takes for fillets this size.

Chef Tips

• Chop the shrimp finely so it blends into the mousse. Large chunks won’t bind properly and will fall off the fish
• Use a single slice of toasted bread, cubed small. It absorbs the cream and acts as a binder for the topping
• White pepper instead of black keeps the topping looking clean and elegant
• Check the fish at five minutes. Snapper goes from done to dry quickly, and microwave power varies

Variations

• Use halibut or sea bass fillets instead of red snapper
• Bake in a conventional oven at 375F for 15-18 minutes if you prefer not to microwave
• Add a tablespoon of fresh dill to the mousse mixture for an herby variation