Pan fried Whole Redfish with Chimichurri Sauce

Some guy was selling these fresh caught from his cooler and I couldn't resist buying it, even though it wasn't scaled.  So I scaled my first fish and then had to figure out a way to cook it.  Pan frying is a simple, tasty, and quick solution.  I made a chimichurri style sauce to accompany it.

What you need:

A 1.5-2 pound whole redfish, scaled, gutted, and washed (mine was gutted already, but I did have to scale it.  The back of a butterknife works just fine.  It's very messy, though, so you probably want to do it outside.  Do a Google search on how to scale a fish for more direction)

Cooking spray or oil 

Salt, pepper, garlic powder (and anything else you want to season with)

After the fish is scaled, gutted, and well washed, pat it dry with paper towels.  Season the outside and the inside (where the guts were cut out) with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Heat a large skillet to HIGH and spray with cooking spray or add a few teaspoons of olive to the pan.  Wait for the oil to heat up and then place the fish in the pan.  Cook on high for 5 minutes on each side (don't move it while it is searing, except to flip).  Reduce heat and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, or until it is cooked through.  The skin will be a bit blackened and the fish should flake easily with a fork.  Serve hot and be wary of the bones!  

To make the Chimichurri Sauce:

In a blender, place:

3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3/4 cup EACH loosely packed, roughly chopped mint and parsley (if you have cilantro, replace some of these herbs with it)

2 green onions, roughly chopped

2 small hot peppers, roughly chopped (or only use one if you don't like much heat)

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2-1 teaspoon anchovy paste

Olive oil or water

Blend, adding olive oil or water as needed to help puree everything.  The olive oil, if used, will help mellow out the very fresh flavors in addition to adding its own flavor, but using just water cuts calories and keeps the sauce VERY fresh and tangy tasty. A combination of both would probably be optimal, but I went with just water to keep it very light.  Tasty and bold!

I served the fish over a bed of lettuce with cucumber, sun dried tomatoes, and a wedge of lemon with the sauce on the side  Enjoy!