Chef Andy Arjoon,
Billabong Bar & Bistro
Commonly eaten down under, red snapper is spiced up with twists of orange-herb butter and curried baked beans. Purple potatoes heighten visual interest on the plate.
Ingredients
Baked Beans
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 small white onion
2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 lb dry white beans, soaked overnight
8 cups chicken stock
1 lb 4 oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 bay leaves
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Purple Potato Hash Browns
1/4 carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 lbs purple (or red) potatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Snapper
(4) 6 oz red snapper fillets
cornmeal for dredging
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup whole or clarified butter
Orange-Herb Butter Sauce
1 cup Chardonnay
juice of two oranges
2 Tbsp chopped basil
1/2 bunch chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp tomato paste or ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Baked Beans
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic, ginger, white onion and red curry paste for 3 mins.
3. Transfer mixture to oven-proof baking dish and add all other ingredients.
4. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 3 hrs.
5. Check occasionally to make sure beans are hydrated. Add stock, water or pineapple juice as needed.
Hash Browns
1. In a medium-sized pan, sauté carrots, celery and onion in oil over medium heat for 2 mins.
2. Add potatoes and sauté until golden. Season to taste.
Snapper and Sauce
1. Dredge snapper in cornmeal and season.
2. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and fry snapper for 2 mins per side, until crisp and golden.
3. Transfer fillets to plates.
4. In the same pan, deglaze with wine and orange juice over high heat. Add all other sauce ingredients. Reduce to half, about 1 min.
Assembly
1. Divide hash browns and beans among four plates.
2. Place 1 fillet per plate atop beans and potatoes. Drizzle with sauce and serve.
Yield 4 servings