Turning the Tide Newsletter – Spring 2024
Recipe: Chargrilled Port Phillip Bay Snapper
Ingredients:
- 2 fillets of Port Phillip Bay Snapper, skin on
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of brined capers, rinsed
- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup white wine (dry)
- Salt and Pepper
Method:
- Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the fillets generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium heat for several minutes until evenly hot. Sprinkle a few drops of water into pan to test it is hot enough. If they form little beads that dance around before evaporating, it’s ready! You can also use a cast iron pan – heat this up until very hot on medium heat.
- Add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Let it heat up until it shimmers but not smoking, less than a minute. Place the fish fillets in the skillet, skinside down. Immediately press the fillets down gently with a spatula or fish weight, as they will naturally tend to contract. Let them cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes so the skin forms a crust and release naturally from the pan. After 3-4 minutes, gently shake the pan or use a spatula to see if the fish releases easily. If it does, flip the fillets carefully, cooking for 2-3 minutes on the other side, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Remove the fillets from the skillet and place them on a pre-warm plate. Tip: If the fish sticks when you try to flip it, give it more time; it will release naturally once it has formed a good crust.
- Zest the lemon and set the zest aside.
- In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and fry until light golden brown. This will go pretty quickly so keep an eye on it. Add the capers and cook for about 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic – reduce the heat if needed.
- Add the wine to the capers and the garlic. Be cautious as it may sizzle and steam. Stir to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer and reduce by half, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste – you might not need much salt because the capers are already salty. Remove from heat, test for acidity. Add more olive oil if too acidic, or more lemon juice if too rich.
- Place the fish on serving plates, skin-side up to maintain the crispiness. Spoon the lemon-caper and white wine sauce over the fish fillets, ensuring an even distribution of capers and lemon zest. Enjoy!