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Crisp-skinned snapper with macadamia cream, asparagus and fresh peas recipe

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A delicious crispy skinned snapper recipe served with macadamia cream and asparagus.
A delicious crispy skinned snapper recipe served with macadamia cream and asparagus.Edwina Pickles

This dish celebrates the arrival of new-season asparagus. Snapper is easy to find and usually high quality. It's also not a 'fishy' fish, so you can get away with serving it to little people. The macadamia cream is very versatile and is also a great accompaniment with chicken, sweet potato, steamed fish or roasted parsnips. So if you make a bit extra, it will definitely come in handy for other meals.

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Ingredients

  • 4 x 200g boneless snapper fillets, skin on

  • Salt and pepper

  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
    2 bunches asparagus
    400g fresh peas, shelled
    200g green beans, top and tailed
    ¼ bunch mint, roughly chopped
    100g butter
    1 lemon, juiced

For the macadamia cream

  • 50g sourdough bread, crust on, ripped into small pieces
    175ml milk
    35ml olive oil
    150g macadamias, toasted
    2 tsp Dijon mustard
    1 lemon, juice and zest
    50ml apple cider vinegar
    Salt and pepper

Method

  1. 1. Put a medium-sized pot filled with water on high heat, season with salt and bring to the boil, ready for the vegetables.

    2. Season the snapper fillets well with flaked salt and cracked pepper on the skin side. Put a heavy frying pan on a high heat, add oil and bring it to just below smoking point.

    3. Put the fish skin-side down in the frying pan and leave them for at least a minute. Give the frying pan a little shake to help stop the skin from sticking to the pan. Leave the fish skin-side down in the pan until the flesh side feels warm to the touch. Flip the fish over for 30 seconds, remove from the frying pan and rest on a cake rack.

    4. Put the asparagus, peas and beans into the boiling salted water for two minutes, strain, put in a medium-sized bowl and add the mint. Skim most of the oil out of the fish frying pan, but leave a little with the caramelised cooked fish bits.

    5. On a medium heat, add the butter and cook until slightly brown and a little foamy, using a spoon to keep it moving. Browning the butter should take about two minutes. Add the lemon juice and pour most of it over the greens.

    6. For the macadamia cream soak the sourdough bread in the milk and olive oil for 10 minutes. In a food processor, add the macadamias, mustard, lemon juice, zest, apple cider vinegar and the sourdough mix including the milk and olive oil. Whiz on high until you have a thick, nutty cream. If it's a little too thick, add a touch more milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    7. To serve, spread some macadamia cream on four plates, top with the vegetables and then a piece of fish.

    8. Drizzle with the leftover lemon butter and put the leftover macadamia cream in a bowl on the table so people can help themselves to more.

    Tip: to get really nice crisp skin, let the fish come to room temperature for about an hour before cooking.

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