Red Snapper with Asparagus in White Wine Butter Sauce

AsparagusThere are 2 ways for a food to qualify as an aphrodisiac. It can either contain some fantastic chemical boosting vitamins or minerals, or, frankly, it can look phallic in the right light with a pinch of imagination.

Considered by traditional Indian medicine to help improve the circulation, and by ancient Chinese medicine to increase passion and love, Asparagus, packed with vitamins A B C E and K, potassium, iodine and folate, and looking like, well, looking like asparagus, qualifies on both counts. It’s not called a “spear” for nothing.

Butter sauce is one of the most decadent things to eat with asparagus in existence. This is a really simple version that only requires a moment’s work before serving – nothing that would keep you in the kitchen too long on a date.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 red snapper fillets (or any white fish fillets you like – though these have a beautiful pink skin)
Illustrated Red Snapper Fillet for Recipe1 bunch of asparagus, with the hard white ends snapped off
1 tbsp butter (cold) cut into quarters
1tsp butter (warm)
1 ½ tbsp white wine
Salt and pepper

  • Lay out a double rectangle of foil about the size of a sheet of printer paper
  • Lay the asparagus in the middle of the foil in a line and season well.
  • Place the red snapper fillets on top, skin side up. Season with salt and pepper and dot with 1tsp of soft butter.
  • Pull the edges of the foil up and over as though you’re going to make the parcel.
  • Pour the wine into the parcel – try not to wet the fish skin.
  • Press and scrunch the edges together to seal the foil.
  • Place in a preheated oven at 350 for 8 minutes.
  • Take out the fish and the asparagus and arrange on a plate.
  • Whisk the cold butter into the hot wine one lump at a time (I use a little salad dressing whisk, but a fork will do as long as you’re careful not to rip the foil). The sauce will thicken and start to smell amazing.
  • Pour the sauce over the fish and asparagus to serve.

Serving Suggestions

  • Serve with boiled potatoes with a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley scattered on top
  • Or with some crusty French bread

You can find the story that inspired this recipe here.

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