As a chef, I don’t usually have Fridays and Saturdays off. Sometimes I get Sunday’s off and when I do it’s my favorite day of the week. I get to see a little bit of people that aren’t necessarily in my industry.
We call these Sundays, Dominguitos.
It’s not a word I made up. It roughly translates to “Sunday, Funday.” But I think it sounds better when you say it in Spanish.
A Dominguito, for me, is all about bringing people together with delicious food.
Dominguitos started when a friend and I just started hanging out. We’d go to each other's houses and cook, and then we’d invite some people over, and then we’d go somewhere else and cook, and drink, and eat.
For drinking, we usually have some sort of chilled wine, bubbles, maybe a Rose. I think mostly chilled wines are the way to go because they promote day drinking and it’s very hot here in Texas. It’s a nice refreshing break from the heat.
We normally snack on chips and dips, some bread from a really good bakery. And for the main course, I like to keep it simple as well.
To me, whatever I cook is in the background. It should be delicious, but it shouldn’t be the center of attention.
Steaks could be good, but after you eat them, everyone will need to take a nap, so we need something that we can eat but won’t fill people up too much.
That’s why I really like to cook a whole fish. Not only is it just great for sharing, but if you show up with one to the party you look awesome. It’s going to taste delicious, but it’s not going to stop you from having a great rest of the day.
I like to throw one on a charcoal grill for a little with a marinade made from dried chiles TK and just hang out.
After all, for me, Dominguitos are all about sharing moments with people, enjoying each other’s company, and not putting all of my attention and creative energy around the food, for once
Snapper in Adobo Rojo
Serves 6
Ingredients:
4 Guajillo peppers, deseeded
2 Arbol peppers, dried
4 Pulla peppers, deseeded
1 Tomato
2 Tomatillos
2 Garlic cloves
2 Limes, juiced
1 Orange, juiced
Salt, to taste
1 to 1 ½ pounds Snapper, whole, butterflied
Preparation:
- Soak chiles in warm water until soft (20-25 minutes).
- While chiles are soaking, using a Comal, char tomato, tomatillo and garlic until completely black on the outside.
- Drain chiles and combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Add water from the soaking chillies as needed to have a smooth paste.
- Light up your charcoal grill, brush the inside of the fish with your marinade and using a fish basket, grill your fish over the coals, brushing marinade on the flesh side as needed.
- Serve fish with your favorite green salsa, escabeche and tortillas.
