Main Dishes : Cajun Red Snapper with Lime-Cilantro Beurre Blanc and Spiced Candied Pecans

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
  
• 1 teaspoon Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce
  
• Juice of 2 limes
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 4 (8-ounce) fillets red snapper, skin on
  

• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  
• 1/2 cup white wine
  
• Juice of 2 limes, divided
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces
  
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

• 1 cup pecans (about 1/2 pound)
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  

To make marinade, combine Cajun seasoning, TABASCO^® Sauce, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a shallow dish and mix well; add fish and marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare beurre blanc and spiced pecans and set aside.

Just before serving, heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to hot pan. Place two fish fillets at a time in pan, skin side down, and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until the skin gets crusty. Turn fish over and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Spoon some beurre blanc on 4 plates; top with fish fillets and more beurre blanc. Sprinkle spiced nuts over top.

Lime-Cilantro Beurre Blanc: Combine shallots, wine, and juice of one lime in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Add the heavy cream and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter a piece at a time, whisking until all is incorporated. When sauce is thickened, remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer to remove shallots. Return sauce to saucepan and stir in cilantro and juice from remaining lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reheat for 30 seconds.

Spiced Pecans : Toast pecans in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add sugar and let it brown; when sugar is browned and melted, add water and mix quickly. This will create syrup that will adhere to the nuts quickly. Add TABASCO^® Sauce and salt and mix well. When the nuts become sticky and brown, remove from pan.

Submitted by Firefighter William Benitez, New York City Fire Department, third place winner of America's "Hottest" Firefighting Cook in the third national TABASCO® Cook & Ladder® Competition.