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¼ cup canola oil

Three 6-inch corn tortillas, cut pizza-style into 8 triangles

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

8 large eggs, beaten

4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)

1 recipe Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo, warm

Fresh or store-bought salsa, for serving

1 Heat the oil and one of the small tortilla triangles in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until the tortilla sizzles vigorously. Add the remaining tortilla pieces and stir them in the hot oil until they become crispy and gently browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted metal spoon, transfer them to a plate lined with a double thickness of paper towels. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.

2 Pour off the oil, and add the butter to the skillet, and when it’s completely melted and frothing, add the onion and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add the eggs and the tortilla chips, and scramble until the eggs are curdy but still moist, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, cover, and cook just until the cheese melts, about 45 seconds.

3 Divide the collard greens with poblanos and chorizo among the 4 warm serving plates, and top each portion with eggs and spoonfuls of salsa.

PAN-FRIED WHITING WITH PICKLED PEPPERS AND ONIONS

serves 4 • TIME: 30 minutes

Chiles and fish is a natural pairing in the coastal tropics, and a fish like whiting, which is almost as sweet as shrimp, medium-rich, and fairly plentiful in North American markets, is the perfect choice for this recipe, though flounder or tilapia would also perform well. We like the earthy flavor of just a little orange habanero mixed with the much milder green jalapeño, but as always, tune the peppers to your tolerance and to the ingredients you have on hand. One of us inevitably takes a microscopic taste—yeow!—of the raw chiles we’ve purchased in an attempt to calibrate our seasoning. Heat levels vary wildly out there: we’ve encountered jalapeños that were as unspicy as an apple. And there’s only one way to know for sure!

We lightly fry the fish with a minimal flour dredge in an oil seasoned with the flavor of the softened onions, peppers, and herbs, which will become a warm topping for the fillet on the plate. A generous shot of vinegar in the garnish keeps the dish bright and lively. Serve it with hot white rice, grits, or Toasted Rice and Peas “Hoppin’ John”.

ONIONS AND PEPPERS

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled, and cut in half

1 large white onion, sliced very thin

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise

1 small habanero pepper, seeded and quartered (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar

FISH

¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white or yellow stone-ground cornmeal

1½ teaspoons iodized salt or fine sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 whiting fillets (about 1 pound total), picked over for stray bones

1 Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil starts to ripple, add the garlic, onion, jalapeños, habanero, thyme, and oregano and gently sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent but not browned and the jalapeños have faded to olive green, about 8 minutes. Add the kosher salt and vinegar, stir for 1 minute more, and then remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool in the skillet briefly while you dredge the fish fillets.

2 Toss the flour, cornmeal, iodized salt, and pepper together in a bowl; then spread the mixture evenly on a large dinner plate. Press both sides of each fillet into the dredge, making sure all surfaces are evenly coated. Discard any excess dredge.

3 With a slotted spoon,