4 December 2011

BAKED BABY SNAPPER

• 2 baby snapper, scaled and gutted
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper
• 2 tbsps olives, pitted
• 12 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 lemons
• A handful of parsley leaves

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Cut two large 45 cm pieces of baking paper. Trim the fins from the fish and make shallow slashes in the skin on either side. Stuff the cavity with parsley. Rub the sides with the olive oil, and sprinkle the fennel seeds, garlic, salt and pepper. Slice one of the lemons thinly, and place a couple of slices in each on the paper sheets. Scatter some of the olives and half of the tomatoes on each and then top with the fish. Add the remaining olives and tomatoes on top and finish with the remaining lemon slices and a few parsley leaves. Seal the paper parcel by folding and pleating the edges together.
Place the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. To serve, open the parcels and serve the fish with wedges of lemon and a little chopped parsley scattered over. Serves 2. Wine match: chilled rosé