From sweet to spicy, peppers abound this time of year.
Written by Becky Ellis / Photographed by Sara Schober
July and August are the perfect time to celebrate peppers. They are prolific in summer gardens, showing off their bright green, yellow, orange, and red colors. Adding a bit (or a lot!) of spice to your dishes, peppers are meant to take center stage at this time of year.
One of my favorite fish to grill is red snapper. I was delighted to find it along with a large variety of fresh fish and seafood at the newly opened Three Brothers Seafood in Lamplighter Mall on Williamson Road. They will fillet your fish any way you like it.
Grilled Red Snapper with Mango Salsa (Photo above)
Note: a grilling basket is helpful to grill fish on charcoal or gas grill.
Marinate red snapper filets for 30 minutes before grilling.
Chill mango salsa in refrigerator for one hour before serving.
Serve red snapper with Near East Parmesan Couscous
Makes 4 servings
Red Snapper Filets
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 4 red snapper fillets*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Near East Parmesan Couscous for service
Make a marinade by combining the lime juice, cilantro and sunflower oil in a large shallow dish and mix well. Place the fish in the dish with the marinade and turn over once to coat the fish with the marinade. Marinate, covered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes.
Remove fish from refrigerator and drain off marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If grilling on a charcoal or gas grill, place fish flat in a grilling basket (spray grilling basket lightly with vegetable oil). If using a stovetop cast iron grill pan, a grilling basket is not necessary, just spray your grill pan lightly with vegetable oil spray so the fish will not stick to the pan. Preheat grill to medium-high (400°F) or if using a stovetop cast iron grill pan, preheat over medium-low heat.
Grill snapper fillets for 4 to 6 minutes on each side to a temperature of 145°F in the thickest part of the fish.
Serve with mango salsa on top of the red snapper and parmesan couscous as a side on the plate.
Mango Salsa
- 2 cups fresh honey mangos, peeled and diced*
- ¼ small red onion, chopped fine
- ¼ red bell pepper, chopped fine
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined, minced
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Fontina and Prosciutto Stuffed Pepper Poppers
I adapted this recipe from my dear friend and cook extraordinaire Mary Ann’s recipe for fontina-stuffed jalapeño pepper poppers. The jalapeño peppers can be very hot, so I like to substitute the milder mini sweet peppers. A stainless-steel jalapeño pepper grill rack is needed for this recipe.
Makes 6 stuffed mini peppers
- 6 jalapeño or mini sweet peppers
- 6 pieces fontina cheese (1/2” x 3-inch pieces)
- 6 slices prosciutto (3-ounce package)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut off tops of peppers. Discard tops. Using a very sharp knife, remove any seeds and pith from the inside of the peppers. Rinse peppers and dry with a paper towel.
Wrap each piece of fontina cheese with a slice of prosciutto. Stuff one piece of prosciutto wrapped cheese into each pepper.
Place stuffed peppers in the holes in a stainless-steel jalapeño pepper grill rack.
Place the grill rack on a baking pan and put in the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Baking time may need to be adjusted if using smaller peppers. Check peppers every few minutes to make sure the cheese is not bubbling over and burning.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Peppers will be very hot right out of the oven.
Swicy Azalea Cocktail
Swicy=sweet + spicy. Grenadine makes this cocktail vibrant pink and sweet and the chili oil makes it spicy. It is named after the beautiful pink-blooming azalea bushes that line the fairways of the Augusta National Golf Club that hosts the Masters Tournament. It has become the signature drink of the tournament.
Makes 1 cocktail
- 2 ounces Cirrus vodka*
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce grenadine
- 5 drops chili oil* (I like Sun Luck brand chili oil for this cocktail)
- Garnish: lemon slice and Amarena cherry
Combine vodka, pineapple juice, lemon juice and grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Cover and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Drizzle top of cocktail with 6 drops of chili oil. Garnish with lemon slice and Amarena cherry.
Notes: Honey mangos (also known as Ataulfo or Champagne mangos) are available in season at Earth Fare, Food Lion, and Fresh Market. They have less pit and more flesh than traditional mangos.
Fresh red snapper is available at Three Brothers Seafood, Lamplighter Mall, Williamson Road.
Cirrus vodka is made in Richmond, Virginia, available at local ABC stores.
Chili oil is sold in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. I
The story above first appeared in our July/August 2026 issue.
