Friday Night Fish

New Zealand Snapper

Pan Seared Snapper Fillet with Tomatoes and Olives

After leaving work on a Friday afternoon I stopped at the well-stocked New May Wah Market on Clement Street in the inner Richmond district of San Francisco. Having fish was on my mind at the market and after walking back and forth inspecting their huge selection displayed on crushed ice, I decided on a wild caught whole New Zealand Snapper. Ten minutes later I was driving home across the Golden Gate Bridge thinking about how I was going to prepare this beautiful fish. I decided on cooking it my favorite way which is a pan saute with a quick pan sauce of tomatoes, olives, lemon and plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Wilted spinach was served under the crispy fillets. It was very good and exactly what I needed to start the weekend.

Pan Seared Snapper with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 6 ounce Snapper fillet, scaled/skin on/scored

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

1/4 small yellow Onion, fine dice
1 clove Garlic, fine diced
3 Olives, pitted and sliced
1 small Lemon, segmented
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil (for cooking)
Kosher Salt/fresh cracked Pepper

Method:

1. Gently saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until golden.

2. Add tomatoes, olives, pinch kosher salt, pepper, lemon segments and juice.

3. Cook a few minutes and turn off heat.

4. In a saute pan heat the vegetable oil 'till almost smoking, place the seasoned fillets in pan skin side down, and press down with a spatula to prevent fish from curling up.

5. Cook till you can see the edges starting to get brown and crispy, flip over and cook about a minute longer, keep warm.

6. While the fish is cooking quickly saute fresh spinach in olive oil until just wilted.
7. Place the filet on a bed of spinach and drizzle sauce over.

Note: Scoring the fish is making shallow slits in the skin to help prevent the fish from curling when cooked.