FIG LEAF ROASTED SNAPPER

Fig leaves bring a gentle, green perfume to fish when used as a wrapping for roasting or barbecuing, their slightly leathery surface locking in moisture while imparting a subtle blend of sweet, herbal and nutty notes with a faint, warm coconut like aroma. As the leaves heat they release fragrant oils that mingle with the natural oils of the fish, adding an earthy, almost almond-ish complexity and a whisper of smokiness if cooked over coals, all of which elevates delicate white fish without overpowering it, creating a tender, juicy result with an intriguing aromatic lift.

It holds in all the wonderful flavours of dill, lemon and garlic and also adding it’s own subtle figgy, coconut and nutty undertone, as well as giving the fish presentation as something quite grand. Feel free to tie it up with kitchen string, but I just overlap carefully and make sure it stays covered the whole cook.

FIG LEAF ROASTED SNAPPER

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FIG LEAF ROASTED SNAPPER 〰️

Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4-6

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 cup dill, finely chopped

1/4 cup EVOO

Few cracks black pepper

1 baby snapper, gutted, scaled and cleaned

7 big fig tree leaves, washed, stalk removed

Sea salt

Garnish: dill leaves, spring onion curls (thinly slice green portion of spring onion and dunk into iced cold water to achieve curls)

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius

Place garlic, half your lemon juice (keep the other half for lemon wedges to garnish), lemon zest, dill, EVOO, black pepper and a solid amount of sea salt and create a marinade in your baking tray. Score your fish three times on each side with a knife before placing in marinade and really pushing the marinade into every crevice. Leave to marinade for 20 minutes in the fridge if you have time.

Place four of your fig leaves down, overlapping. Place fish on top and pour marinade on top before transferring back to baking tray. Add your remaining fig leaves on top before covering with foil. Place in oven for 10 minutes, before removing foil and making sure your fig leaves are properly covering the snapper. Cook for 8 more minutes. Remove from oven and let to rest for 10 minutes before reopening.

Place on platter with snapper on bottom fig leaves before salting heavily with fresh sea salt. Top with dill, spring onion and lemon wedges.