Whole Roasted Snapper with Red Pepper Tapenade

Ingredients

• Roasted red peppers, ½ cup (finely chopped)

• Fennel fronds or chervil, 2 finely chopped tablespoons

• Castelvetrano olives, 5 (pitted and finely chopped)

• Limes, 1 (zested, rind sliced off and discarded, fruit divided into segments and then chopped)

• Flat-leaf parsley, 1 finely chopped teaspoon

• Extra-virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons

• Kosher salt

• Whole red snapper, one 2-pound fish, (scaled and gutted; not filleted) rinsed and patted dry

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine the roasted peppers, fennel fronds, chopped olives, lime and zest, chopped parsley and 5 T extra-virgin olive oil. Season with Kosher salt an fresh ground pepper stir well to coat.

Place the red snapper on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife to make 3 or 4 (depending on how long the fish is) diagonal slashes along each side of the fish. Season both sides and the cavity with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. 

Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke, about 2-4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. 

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the broiler to high.

Set the snapper in the pan and immediately transfer the grill pan to the broiler. Broil the snapper until it is firm to the touch and the flesh is opaque all the way to the bone, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a fish spatula to transfer the fish to a platter. Spoon the tapenade over the top and serve.

Urban Cowgill 2013 (updated 2023)