Pan fried Snapper With A Smoked Tomato Butter Sauce

Ingredients

4 good sized Snapper fillets, (180g) skin on,
60g diced prawns,
50g diced chorizo,
60g corn kernels,
sweet corn puree,
spring onion oil.
Sauce: 1kg tomatoes, 6/8 basil leaves, splash of cream, smoked Manuka butter, 1 lemon.

Method

Sauce:

Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a food processor with a good pinch of salt and 6 basil leaves, pulse 5-6 times then hang over night in a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
Reduce the liquid by half, add a small splash of cream and whisk in enough butter to thicken.
Season. Finish the sauce with a little squeeze of lemon and freshly chopped basil.

Fish:

Dry the skin of the snapper, add to a medium hot pan with a little oil and cook skin side down for 5-6 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Flatten the fillet slightly to ensure a level surface and even colouring.
Flip the fish and cook for 1 minute then remove from the pan.
In the same pan add the prawns and chorizo and sauté for 1 minute then add the corn to warm.

Plating Up

Swipe some corn puree onto the plate, spoon over the prawn mix and top with the fish, then drizzle over some sauce and spring onion oil.

Chef Mark Southon

Mark trained at numerous Michelin star establishments in Europe before embarking on a culinary tour down under landing a prestigious position at Vue de Monde in Australia. He then crossed the ditch to work at Wai Waterfront in Queenstown and The French Café in Auckland, moving to the Foodstore in 2010 & joining the Bistro in late September 2015.

Wine Match

Peter Yealands Rose 2018

This pretty light peach coloured rosé has an enticing bouquet of pomegranate, fresh strawberries, and honeysuckle. A juicy, rich palate with warming flavours of strawberry shortcake, which is given focus and length by well-balanced acidity.

O'Connell St Bistro

Located on the corner of Shortland and O’Connell Streets in central Auckland, O’Connell Street Bistro is an intimate dining room of twelve tables, created in the theme of a contemporary European back street bistro, with a cosy and well stocked bar. In addition there is a separate private dining room adjacent to the Bistro, the Corner Room, which can accommodate up to twenty five people.