Photo by Anette Slade Photography

Fresh from his book The Athlete’s Plate, this recipe showcases chef and endurance athlete Adam Kelinson’s approach to nutrition. In the book, Kelinson eschews complicated nutrition programs and calorie charts, promoting instead a seasonal food philosophy that fits with the lifestyles of endurance athletes. In addition to his fresh take on ingredients and preparation, he offers advice on how to save time shopping and cooking, because, after all, we have pools and intervals to attend to.

In honor of launch day here at LAVA, we thank Adam for his generous offering of this red-hot themed meal. Don’t worry though—as with all the great things we have in store, we promise you won’t get burned.

Pan-Seared Red Snapper with Thai Citrus Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

two 6–8 ounce fillets red snapper (or other firm whitefish, such as black sea bass)

sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Thai citrus sauce

1 whole lime, sectioned, juices reserved*

1 whole orange, sectioned, juices reserved*

1 whole lemon, sectioned, juices reserved*

¼ cup Nama Shoyu or low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup brown rice vinegar

¼ cup raw honey

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1–3 Thai chili peppers

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

*To section: peel skin from fruit, then remove each section with a cutting knife just to the inside of each white membrane.

Accompaniments

soba noodles

steamed kale

steamed snow peas

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Make the citrus sauce first. Roughly chop the sections of lime, orange, and lemon and place in a bowl, reserving as much juice as possible. In a small bowl, whisk together Nama Shoyu, vinegar, honey, and water. Add the chopped citrus and juices along with cilantro, peppers, and scallions, and stir.
3. Heat an oven-proof sauté pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Sprinkle salt on both sides of fish. When the pan is hot, add olive oil and swirl around bottom of pan. Place fillets, skin-side down, in pan and gently shake to prevent from sticking. Cook untouched for 5–7 minutes while the skin crisps. When the fillets can be easily turned over, flip them with a spatula and cook 1–2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and place in oven for 5 minutes to finish. Transfer fillets to a platter or two plates.

Recipe reprinted with permission of VeloPress. The Athlete’s Plate: Real Food for High Performance is available in bookstores, endurance sports shops, and online.