Grouper with Basil Vinaigrette

I had a bad day at work today. After arriving home late and walking my dog, I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was my husband cooking dinner for me tonight, my friend Dino was also over and doing his share of what was to be an incredible meal. I sat down at the island to chill out and watch them. Dino was making a salad with romain, carrots, red onion, goat cheese and pancetta bits topped with a marvelous homemade dressing. My husband was cooking some garlic infused wild rice and grouper, a fish similar and from the same area as red snapper, only meatier. The preparation was not complicated at all, but the end result seemed elaborate (my husband says the best recipes are the simple ones). He topped this with a tangy basil vinaigrette. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite. 

Given our dinner tonight was impulsive, we didn't buy any wine. We did however, have a bottle in the liquor cabinet that we purchased this past summer to use for sangria. And the only reason I am mentioning this wine is because I was pleasantly surprised by it's rich flavour. If you're on a budget, this Two Oceans cab/merlot from South Africa should fit the bill. 

What you’ll need

Fish:

Grouper

Fresh basil

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Rice:

Wild rice

Chicken stock

Garlic

Salad:

Romain lettuce

Sliced carrots

Pancetta bits

Red onion

Goat cheese

Dressing:

Olive oil

Truffle oil

Lemon

Balsamic

Dijon 

Garlic

Whole wheat baguette

What to do

For the salad, mix all the ingredients together except the pancetta and cheese. While you're frying up the pancetta, set the goat cheese on top to soften it.

Afterward, add the pancetta to the rest of the salad. Mix together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Top with some of the softened goat cheese.

For the fish, mix together the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the grouper and broil for 10 minutes. When you cook the rice, cook it in chicken stock and add in some chunks of garlic. It will add some wonderful flavours to your rice.

Serve with whole wheat baguette.

Total time, approximately 45 minutes.