Braised Snapper with Roasted Tomato, Pepper, Olives & Capers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons/50 ml olive oil
1 onion, roughly diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red bell pepper, roughly diced
3 sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 red jalapeño chili pepper, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups/250 ml dry white wine
6 vine-ripened tomatoes (about 2 pounds/1 kg), roughly diced
¼ cup/45 g pitted kalamata olives
¼ cup/45 g drained extra fine capers
2 large (approximately 1 1/2 pounds/700 g each) whole red snappers, scaled, gutted
12 ounces/340 g fresh baby spinach leaves

Method:

Heat 3 tablespoons/40 ml of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the bell peppers, basil, oregano and chili pepper and sauté until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer the liquid to reduce it by half, about 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and simmer gently until the tomatoes are very tender and juices form, about 35 to 50 minutes. You may need to top sauce up with a little water as it is cooking.

Remove the sauce from the heat and add the olives and capers.  Season the sauce lightly to taste with salt and pepper. Be sure not to add too much salt at this point, since the olives and capers will add a salty flavor to the sauce as it continues to cook.

Using a large sharp knife, score 4 slits over each side of each whole fish.  Place the whole fish over the tomato sauce.  Cover with a tight fitting lid or foil.  Return to medium heat until the fish easily comes away from the bone, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of oil in a heavy large sauté pan over medium-high heat. 

Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté the spinach just until it wilts, about 2 minutes.  Spoon the spinach onto a platter.  Serve the fish alongside the spinach. Spoon the tomato and pepper sauce over and around the fish, and serve.