Crispy skin with a mouthwatering lemon butter sauce! This pan-seared snapper recipe is so easy and delicious- it’s perfect for a healthy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 2 snapper fillets, with the skin on
- 60g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 lemon
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Oil
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Method
1. Place the butter in a light-coloured saucepan or small skillet over medium heat.
2. Melt butter, whisking / stirring every now and then. When the butter turns golden brown and it smells nutty – about 3 minutes, remove from stove immediately and pour into small bowl.
3. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir then taste when it has cooled slightly. Adjust lemon/salt to taste. Set aside.
4. Set a pan over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking, about 3 minutes. While the pan is heating, wash the fillet, then pat it really dry with paper towels. The drying part is critical, otherwise, the skin won’t get crisp. Season both sides of the fish fillet with salt and black pepper.
5. When the pan is hot, carefully add just enough oil to evenly coat the pan. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat and then quickly add the fish, skin side down. The fillet will contract and curve upwards. When this happens, take a flexible spatula, and press the entire fillet gently back down and hold for a few seconds to ensure even cooking and crisp skin all over. Let the fish cook without messing with it too much until you can see a golden-brown colour on the edge of the skin.
6. Carefully and gently use a spatula to lift up the fillet and flip it over. Add the butter sauce and cover the fish until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Gently transfer the fish to a plate and serve.