Chef's Notes
Any mild white fish can be substituted for snapper.
Preparing Your Mise en Place
To start, first preheat your oven to 425º degrees Fahrenheit.
To prepare your mise en place, very thinly slice the onion and émincé the garlic. Mince the jalapeños and make sure to reserve the juice. Roughly chop the pitted olives and then slice the peeled tomatoes into approximately 1/4" -inch slices. Just be careful when slicing as they can be quite slippery. You don’t have to peel the tomatoes, but this dish is much nicer to eat if the tomatoes have been peeled (see attached drill-down). Next, cut the lime in half and roughly chop the cilantro. Lastly, gather the capers, bay leaves, white wine, olive oil and reserved jalapeño juice.
Step 1: Preparing Your Mise en Place
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 to 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños (with the juice)
- 1/4 cup green olives (such as picholine)
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 lime (optional)
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 1 to 2 tbsp capers
- 3 bay leaves (optional)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparing the Snapper
To prepare the fish, first debone and then slice each fillet into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper and squeeze the lime juice over top. Set aside.
Step 2: Preparing the Snapper
- 2 large snapper fillets (about 1 1/4 lb)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Assembling & Baking the Dish
To begin assembling, first spray a 9″ × 12″ -inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Lay the bay leaves on the bottom of the dish and start to layer with half of the onions, garlic, olives and cilantro. For the tomatoes, use the not-so-pretty or end-pieces first. Then season with salt and pepper and lay down the fish. Repeat with the second layer, only this time, add the jalapeños and capers as well. Season again with a bit of salt and pepper. Finally, pour over the jalapeño juice, white wine and finish with a quality olive oil.
Cover and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the fish.
Step 3: Assembling & Baking the Dish
- vegetable oil (for coating the baking dish)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Finishing the Dish
After about 10 to 15 minutes, uncover the dish and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
When ready, the juices should be hot and bubbling and the fish should just start to flake apart. The tomatoes should also look like they are starting to cook and break down.
Once done, serve immediately. Make sure to spoon the delicious juices over top. If desired, finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.