Roasted snapper with fennel and tomato

Name: Roasted snapper with fennel and tomato
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced; 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 1 red capsicum, halved, seeded and thinly sliced; 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered; 2 tbsp salted baby capers, rinsed and drained; 6 anchovy fillets; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine; 4 snapper fillets, about 180g each, skin off; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped; lemon wedges, to serve

Neil Perry

June 15, 2020

Any white-fleshed fish will work in this self-saucing one-tray bake. William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:4

This is a really easy recipe – just throw the vegetables and seasoning together in the oven, bake until tender and then finish cooking with the fish on top – just remember to add a good squeeze of lemon as it’s served. Any white-fleshed fish works, and the sauce is perfect with chicken as well (the meat will just need a little more cooking time). To make this dish vegetarian, take out the anchovies and swap the snapper for cauliflower – just roast an extra 10 minutes.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
2 tbsp salted baby capers, rinsed and drained
6 anchovy fillets
1 tsp chilli flakes
60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
4 snapper fillets, about 180g each, skin off
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
2. Toss all the vegetable ingredients, the capers, anchovies, chilli and olive oil in a bowl, then spread out in a baking dish (make sure it will fit the snapper fillets fairly snugly).
3. Season liberally with sea salt and white pepper and pour over the wine.
4. Roast for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender and the tomato is melting to form a sauce.
5. Remove the dish from the oven, snuggle the snapper down into the sauce, drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for about 10 minutes more, or until the fish is just cooked through.
6. Place a fillet on each of four plates, spoon over the sauce, then sprinkle with parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon. Add a green salad and potatoes and you're set.
Neil's tip: I love this dish served with potatoes. Just boil them until tender, then drain, dry and pan-fry them in olive oil – they get a great crust – then season with sea salt at the end.