Maltese-style whole roast snapper with caper, olive and tomato stuffing and salsa

Name: Maltese-style whole roast snapper with caper, olive and tomato stuffing and salsa
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6 - 8
Cuisine: Modern Australian,Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1.8kg-2kg whole snapper, cleaned and scaled; 2 lemons, sliced; large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped; large handful mint leaves, finely chopped; 30g salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped; 40g pitted mixed olives, roughly chopped; 200g tomatoes, diced; 2 eschalots (French shallots), finely diced; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 40g blanched toasted almonds, roughly chopped; zest of a lemon; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 80g fresh coarse breadcrumbs; salt and pepper, to taste

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

December 1, 2023

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6 - 8

A whole fish at the centre of the table is a wonderful sight. At Christmas, my mother and grandmother would stuff a large fish with a punchy mixture of capers, olives, tomatoes and garlic – essential flavours of our Maltese heritage.

Here, I’ve added some almonds for crunch and split the mixture into two. One half is mixed with coarse breadcrumbs for the stuffing; the other half becomes a salsa, bringing a sharpness and freshness to the dish.

A whole fish is an impressive main course and, when cooked on the bone, succulent and full of flavour. I use snapper, but any large fish that is suitable for roasting is perfect; ask your fishmonger for the best option on the day. If you can’t find a fish large enough, use two smaller whole fish and reduce the cooking time, as needed.

Ingredients

1.8kg-2kg whole snapper, cleaned and scaled
2 lemons, sliced
large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
large handful mint leaves, finely chopped
30g salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
40g pitted mixed olives, roughly chopped
200g tomatoes, diced
2 eschalots (French shallots), finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely grated
40g blanched toasted almonds, roughly chopped
zest of a lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
80g fresh coarse breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Line a roasting pan with baking paper. Set aside.
Step 2
Pat the snapper dry inside and out with a paper towel and score the fish on both sides with a sharp knife. Season the fish inside and out with salt. Arrange most of the lemon slices on the prepared pan and place the snapper on top of them, reserving three or four slices to put on top of the fish. Set aside.
Step 3
In a medium bowl, combine the parsley, mint, capers, olives, tomatoes, eschalots, garlic, almonds and lemon zest. Transfer half of the mixture to a second bowl and set aside. One half of the mixture will become a salsa to serve with the fish, the other will be the stuffing.
Step 4
For the salsa, add the red wine vinegar and most of the olive oil, reserving two tablespoons of the oil for the stuffing. Mix to combine, season to taste and set aside.
Step 5
For the stuffing, add the breadcrumbs to the other half of the mixture and drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Mix to combine and season well. Fill the cavity of the snapper with the breadcrumb mixture and press the snapper to gently close the cavity and seal in the stuffing.
Step 6
Top the snapper with the remaining slices of lemon, a generous drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of salt.
Step 7
Roast the snapper in the pan for 35-40 minutes or until the skin is crisp and the flesh just cooked through. To check to see if it’s done, the flesh should pull away from the bone at the thickest part, near the head. Rest for 5 minutes and serve with the salsa.