Red Snapper with Chick Peas, Fennel and White Wine

Illustrated Red Snapper Fillet for RecipeI love the pink iridescence of red snapper, and its opal white flesh. It just seems to me such a beautiful fish that it makes me happy to buy it and cook it on purely aesthetic grounds. The fact that it tastes as elegant as it looks is a gratifying bonus.

This is the kind of dinner to cook for girlfriends who gather ostensibly for Book Club, but in reality to mull and bitch about life over glasses of rosé.

Ingredients (per parcel)

1 snapper fillet
½ can of chick peas drained but not rinsed
¼ bulb of fennel sliced thinly
1 tbsp white wine
1 sprig of thyme
1 tsp butter
Salt and pepper

  • Lay out a rectangle of foil about the size of a sheet of printer paper
  • Chop up the fennel into thin slices – like an onion. You can use the frondy bits too – save them to place on top of the fish fillet. Put the fennel in the middle of the foil, season with salt and pepper
  • Tip the chick peas on top of the fennel
  • Season the snapper on both sides with salt and pepper, then place it skin side up on the bed of fennel and chick peas
  • Pull the edges of the foil up and over as though you’re going to make the parcel. Pour the wine into the parcel, ideally avoiding the fish skin
  • Top the fish with dots of butter, the fennel fronds and the thyme
  • Press and scrunch the edges together to seal the foil.
  • Place in a preheated oven at 350 for 12 minutes

Serving Suggestions

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