Ingredients
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Koroneiko extra virgin olive oil, plus a little oil for drizzling
8 6-ounce pieces snapper fillet
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lightly toasted and ground fennel seeds
1 cup Olive al Balsamico
¼ cup dry white wine
1 ¾ pounds ripe but firm tomatoes, seeded and cut into ⅜-inch dice
½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in each of 2 baking dishes, each large enough to hold 4 pieces of fish with space in between. Put the dishes in the oven to heat the oil but don’t let it get to the smoking point.
- With a sharp utility or boning knife, make a few shallow slices through the skin of each snapper fillet to keep them from curling in the hot oil. Season each piece on both sides with salt, pepper, and fennel. Place the fish in the hot oil, skin side down, to coat with the oil, then immediately turn with a fish spatula so that the skin side is up. The oil is the correct temperature if you hear a light sizzle when the fish is added. Divide the olives between the dishes, scattering them around the fish, then splash equal amounts of wine into each dish.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is slightly firm and start to flake when the tip of a knife is inserted into the flesh. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then divide them between the baking dishes, making sure they fall between the pieces of fish and into the hot pan juices. The tomatoes just need to get slightly wilted in the hot pans.