Mediterranean Roasted Red Snapper with Sauteed Veggies #FishFridayFoodies

I often go back to the land where I was born at, in my thoughts. It is hard to be away from Dubai, UAE as there are so many fond memories of the place. Growing up, we lived in a place very close to the first fish market. Seafood has always been at home as long as I can remember at least for lunch.

Mummy made the best roast /grilled fish too. Since Dad has not had spicy food in decades now owing to his health, Arabic/Mediterranean food seems to be the best choice! And nothing like having Fish grilled or roasted which brings out its natural flavours and does not need much oil owing to its natural oils. I miss Mum's cooking a lot these days. The image below is of a post card I had since college days. Well I used to miss her cooking back then too when we stayed away from home.

This fish was grilled when my Papa (Hubby's Dad) came to stay. He has been unwell since last year and has a lot of diet restrictions, so I thought it best to make this fish roasted. He thoroughly enjoyed this fish and make. What's best is it was devoid of any oil and used a lot of good, healthy ingredients. The Red Snapper in itself is quite a flavoursome fish. You can add other vegetables too but like I said he has many restrictions on the type of vegetables too. Suggest adding some whole shallots and tomatoes with slits on either side. Ironically though my recipe is titled as with Sauteed Veggies, it really does only give the look of being sauteed as that is how it cooked when roasted with the fish.

Red Snapper can be cooked in many ways. Rich in Selenium, Vitamin A, Omega-3, it can be baked, broiled, poached, grilled, sauteed or steamed.

I am a fan of one pot or pan cooking. So it was neat to have the veggies cooked atop the fish. Although I had to do a bit of flash cooking prior to placing the beans on the baking pan.

April's Fish Friday Foodies is hosted by the lovely Camilla M. Mann of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Thank you Camilla for this awesome theme.

You need:

• 1.5 kgs Red Snapper
• 4-5 cloves of Garlic
• 2 tbsp of crushed black pepper
• 250 gms of French beans
• Sprinkle of Salt
• 1/2 medium sized lemon (Preferable, but I had to leave it out owing to Papa's diet restrictions) or 1 tbsp of vinegar
• 1 large shallot, diced or cut finely

The Make:
Preparation time: 10 minutes | Marination time: 20 minutes to an hour | Cooking Time: 30 minutes | Serves 4 adults


1. Slit the sides of the Red Snapper and sprinkle some salt and rub down on both sides with the black pepper and vinegar (or lemon juice).
2. Crush the garlic using the back of a knife and press down. Place it in the cavity of the fish and around it as well. Allow it to stand for 20 minutes to an hour.
3. Line a baking pan with butter paper/foil or lightly grease the pan. Heat water and add a sprinkle of salt and bring to a boil. Add the cleaned French beans and shallots to the boiling water and  cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and place the beans in an ice bath or chilled water.
4. Place the fish over the pan and add the beans and shallots on top. Loosely cover the fish with the edges of the butter paper or foil or you can even leave it open.
5. Heat the oven to 180°C and place the fish in the oven. Roast for at least 20 minutes to an hour.

Serve hot with kuboos / pita bread or any of your favourite flat bread and garlic paste or sauce.

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies?  We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month.  To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com.

And now for some of the lovely, healthy Whole Fish Recipes by our awesome #FishFridayFoodies from around the world:

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Malaysian Red Snapper with Lime Leaves #FishFridayFoodies

I have always been a lover of seafood and just loved that Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this new group of Fish Friday Foodies of Fish food lovers.

Red Snapper is a low-calorie, lean source of protein rich in selenium, Vitamin A, potassium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Besides this is quite a flavoursome fish as well.

I grew a small potted lime plant in my balcony at my last place of residence. After a few months of seeing some produce from the plant, sadly I had to let go of it as it became diseased. Hopefully if ever I move into a home with a better garden area, I will attempt at growing the lime tree :)

Now while I had a chance to use the produce off my young lime plant, I made this Red Snapper with Lime leaves. The fragrance throughout my home that day was amazingly uplifting and fabulous.

You need:

• 1 kg Red Snapper, cleaned and cut into medium sized pieces
• 2 large shallots, quartered
• 1/2 tbsp Peppercorns
• 3-4 Star Anise
• 4-5  Lime Leaves + 2-3 for garnish
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and quartered
• 2 tsp Freshly Ground Coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 red chilies quartered
• 250ml of coconut milk
• Zest of 1 small lime
• Salt to taste
• Drinking water, heated

The Make:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes | Serves 4-6 adults

1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a clay pot or a wok and toss in the star anise, fennel seeds, red chilies, cinnamon sticks and set aside after a minute.

2. In the same pot, add the remaining oil and toss in the shallots and saute till translucent on medium heat.

3. Next add the garlic, coriander, turmeric, salt and peppercorns and saute for another minute or until the spices leave the sides of the pot and is cooked. 

4. Lower the heat and pour half the quantity of coconut milk, sugar and pour in a cup of heated water.

5. Add in the the sauteed spices earlier set aside and turn to medium heat again for a minute or until heated but not to a  rolling boil.

6. Lower the heat and then add the Red Snapper fish pieces, lime zest and lime leaves. Cover and cook for 30 minutes and then check if cooked well. If not increase by 5 minutes and check. Once cooked add the remaining coconut milk and allow to heat not boil else it will split.

7. Serve hot aside piping hot bowl of steamed rice of your choice. Garnish with lime leaves.

Bon Appetit!

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies?  We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month.  To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com.

Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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