Cool Recipe Alert: Chile rellenos de pascado

Whether or not you serve a large population of Catholics, the Lenten season is a great hook—pardon the pun—for seafood specials. Chris Kaschak, executive chef of Holloway Commons at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), teamed up with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to create a fish dish for Lent with just one parameter: not fish ‘n chips.

Kaschak came up with the idea for chile rellenos de pascado, a spicy pepper stuffed with baked breaded pollock, freekeh and baked tortillas on top.

“Freekeh is just awesome to work with,” Kaschak says. The breading on the fish is whole grain, super crunchy and gets to almost-fried levels of crispiness in the oven.

The UNH kitchen team said farewell to all deep fryers with a recent kitchen remodel and alignment with the Menus of Change initiative.

Chile rellenos de pascado recipe

YIELD: 4 servings

4 small poblano peppers
6 oz. prepared, frozen breaded Alaskan pollock
2 cloves garlic
4 oz. cooked freekeh (cook in vegetable stock)
3 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 oz. roasted red peppers, diced
4 oz. sour cream
1 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. low fat milk
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 oz. corn tortillas
2 oz. fresh tomatoes, diced
2 oz. queso fresco
½ of 1 lime
fresh cilantro, as needed

1.    On open burner of stove or grill, rotate poblano peppers until blackened and skin has blistered. Place in paper bag to cool. Remove skin once cooled.
2.    Bake pollock according to package instructions, cool and dice. Mince garlic, sauté and cool. Combine freekeh, cheese, pollock, diced roasted red peppers and garlic in mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; reserve.
3.    Combine sour cream, lime juice, milk and cayenne in bowl; reserve.
4.    Preheat oven to 350°F. Place tortillas in oven and cook until toasted, about 5 minutes.
5.    Make slit down one side of each of the cooled and peeled poblano peppers and remove seeds. Stuff with pollock and freekeh mixture and place on lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake at 350°F oven for 15 minutes. Place on plate and garnish with sour cream mixture, tortillas, diced tomatoes, queso fresco, cilantro and wedge of lime.

Recipe: Chris Kaschak of the University of New Hampshire/The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Contact Tara Fitzpatrick at [email protected].
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