Snapper with tahini sauce

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg snapper, cleaned
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 100 g fermented chilli sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp powdered shio kombu
• ¼ cup (60 ml) water
• 100 ml tahini
• 100 g butter
• 3 cups pomegranate arils
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 100 ml lemon juice
• 100 g salmon roe

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C (fan-forced). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the snapper on the prepared tray, then season with salt on all sides, including in the cavity. Drizzle the whole fish with olive oil then bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
2. While the fish is baking, make the sauce. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chilli sauce and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir through the shio kombu and mix well to combine. Stir through ¼ cup water, then reduce. Stir through the tahini and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted, followed by the pomegranate arils and parsley. Remove from the heat and season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Removing from the heat will avoid the sauce curdling.
3. Remove the fish from the oven and transfer to a large serving platter. Pour a generous amount of the sauce over the fish, top with salmon roe and serve immediately.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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