Snapper & Saffron Skillet with Pine Nut & Raisin Salsa

A dish deserving of a proposal – this is my ‘marry me’ crispy snapper with baby potatoes, fennel, jammy tomatoes and white beans in a sauce that’s infused with saffron, Calabrian chilli and capers. Dressed with a sweet and sour pine nut and raisin salsa which really marries the whole dish together.

For the skillet marinade, I use Calabrian chilli which is a spicy condiment made from hot chilli peppers from the Calabria region of Italy. If you can’t find this, any kind of sweet chilli jam, relish or jarred chillies in oil will work well here too.

Lunch

Dinner

Quick Sticks

Serves 2-3

Prep Time 10 Mins

Cook Time 40 Mins

Method

1
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Add the saffron to a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside to infuse for 5 minutes.
2
Place the potatoes, fennel and tomatoes in a large cast iron skillet.
3
Add the garlic, Calabrian chilli, capers, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the saffron water to a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and toss well. Place into the oven to roast for approximately 25-30 minutes. Once the veg is soft and caramelised, add the white beans and place back into the oven for 5 more minutes.
4
Meanwhile, make the pine nut and raisin salsa by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.
5
Cook the crispy snapper - pat the skin side dry using a paper towel and season well with salt. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick pan over a high heat. Once the oil is spitting, add the snapper fillets, skin-side-down. Place a fish weight or heavy pan on top and turn down the heat to medium. Cook on the skin side for approximately 3 minutes, then flip and cook for a further minute. Add the butter and lemon to the pan. Gently tilt the pan allowing it to reduce and base the bottom of the fish. Be careful not to wet the crisped skin. Turn off the heat and let the fish rest in the pan for 1 minutes.
6
Serve the crispy snapper on top of the vegetable skillet. Spoon over the pine nut and raisin salsa and serve immediately.