Paper-baked snapper

Whole snapper, or similar fish, can be cooked with any combination of flavours you like. I combined lemon leaves and cumquats simply because that’s what I had to hand.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  4

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 5 lemon leaves, washed
• 1 kg whole snapper, cleaned
• 3 fresh or brandied cumquats (see Note), thinly sliced
• 60 g butter, sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C. Place a sheet of heavy-duty foil large enough to wrap around the fish on a work surface. Place a slightly smaller piece of baking paper on top of the foil.

Arrange lemon leaves in the middle of the baking paper and place the fish on top.

Season skin and inside cavity of the fish with salt and pepper. Place cumquat and butter slices on top of the fish.

Fold up the paper and foil to enclose the fish and cook in the oven or over coals for 35 minutes or until just cooked. To check the fish is cooked, unwrap the foil and baking paper, and if the flesh flakes easily with a fork, it is cooked and ready to serve.

Note

• Brandied cumquats are available from selected delis.

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 11, pg33.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.