That fabulous snapper

Baked whole snapper filled with lobster and lemongrass, served with roast cherry tomatoes

by Kylie Kwong

250g cherry tomatoes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ bunch tarragon
cracked white pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 x 750g whole snapper, scaled, cleaned and gutted
1 tablespoon very finely sliced lemongrass, cut on the diagonal
1 tablespoon finely sliced large red chilli

LOBSTER AND LEMON GRASS STUFFING
280g fresh uncooked lobster meat, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced lemongrass
¼ cup finely sliced spring onions
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 150°C. Place cherry tomatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle with half the olive oil and sprinkle with tarragon sprigs, pepper and half the salt. Cover tin with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove foil and roast for a further 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and wilted. Remove tomatoes from oven and set aside to cool slightly before drizzling with vinegar and sprinkling with remaining salt.

Meanwhile, put all stuffing ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pat fish dry with kitchen paper and place on a large, oiled oven tray. Fill fish cavity with stuffing mixture, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with a little pepper. Cover tray with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and roast for further 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through when tested. The flesh should be white through to the bone. If the flesh is still translucent, cook for another minute or so.

Carefully slide the fish into a large, shallow bowl. Pour over reserved tomatoes with their pan juices and garnish with lemongrass and chilli. Serve immediately.