Having fish on Fridays is easy if you plan ahead. This dish was based on the presentation made by Michael Psilakis of Anthos on the Martha Stewart show.
I was able to get several small whole red snappers. The best thing about this dish is that once you get it in the oven, you have 45 minutes to get everything else ready. He has many more ingredients in his dish but mine worked great too.
I made flageot beans the night before and roasted baby carrots as an accompaniment. You could easily serve this with just a salad and bread. If you have a clay pot this would be even better as the aromatics would steam into the fish flesh. I don’t have clay pot big enough for 8 to 10 but this recipe could easily be cut in half and fish filets used instead of whole fish. The bones in the whole fish make the broth richer. Delicious!
Whole Baked Red Snappers a la Anthos.
Serve 8 to 10
5 whole Red Snappers, heads, off, scaled, etc. (your fish monger can do this for you at no extra charge)
EVVO
1 lemon, thinly sliced
6 sprigs of thyme
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 Bay Leaves
8 cloves of garlic
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 plum tomatoes cut into wedges
2 Yukon Gold potatoes sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
16 pitted Kalamata Olives
1/3 cup capers
1 1/2 cups white wine
Mini red and yellow peppers, sliced in half or left whole
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the fish well and pat dry. Pour a liberal amount of olive oil into the bottom of a large baking dish (a glass Pyrex lasagne dish works well). Place the fish in the center.
Inside each fish spread the herbs, garlic, bay leaves and some lemon slices. Salt and pepper the outsides of the fish. Cover the fish with the red onion and then on top of that the remaining lemon slices.
Scatter the remaining vegetables all around the sides of the fish and sprinkle the top with the capers and olives. Pour in the wine and then cover the whole pan with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and steam-bake for 45 minutes or until all the vegetable are tender to the prick of a knife and the fish is easily flaked.
Discard the herbs, and place the vegetables on a serving platter. Gently lift the top part of each fish off and place on top of vegetables. Remove the center bone of the fish (this should come up in one easy piece). Place remaining fish on platter. Taste the pan juices. If they need it add salt and pepper. Pour over fish and vegetables and serve.
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