Red snapper with courgette, olives and spinach
Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 15 minutes Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
● 2 x 500g red snapper ● drizzle of olive oil ● 2 pinches of rock or sea salt ● 4 tbsp olive oil ● 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ● a handful of pitted black olives, halved ● 1 courgette, about 200g, diced ● 1 tsp sweet pimenton (sweet smoked paprika) ● A handful of frozen peas, defrosted ● 3 tbsp sherry vinegar ● 100g baby spinach ● salt and freshly ground black pepper ● 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives METHOD
1 Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale your fish for you. At home, simply wash them in cold water and pat them dry really well with a clean cloth or kitchen paper.
2 Place a pan wide enough to hold the entire fish over a medium heat. Drizzle some olive oil over the fish, season both sides with the salt and pan-fry for about 5 minutes on each side, until crispy and fully cooked. If you put a lid over the pan it will create an oven so that the fish cooks all over and not just on the sides in contact with the pan. Just leave a little opening so that the steam can escape and doesn’t condensate on the lid and fall back into the pan, stopping the fish from crisping up properly.
3 Meanwhile, heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and cook until starting to turn golden, then add the olives and cook for 30 seconds before adding the diced courgette. Fry for 1 minute and then add the sweet pimenton and the peas. Give the pan a good stir and, after 30 seconds, pour over the sherry vinegar and let it reduce for a few seconds. Add the baby spinach and season with salt and pepper, and finish by adding the finely chopped chives.
4 Serve the fish whole with the vegetables scattered all over.
Cook’s tip Omar loves red snapper but you can make this with any fish of your choosing.