Baby beets are sweeter than mature beets, and when roasted, their sweetness is further concentrated. A sweet-sour grapefruit salad complements the humble root, with a quickly cooked snapper added to the plate to make this a substantial starter.
If golden baby beets are unavailable, feel free to use all red beets, or experiment with different colored varieties such as white beets and Chioggia (candy-striped) beets, which, when cut, reveal stunning red and white rings inside.
Next time you are shopping, look in the fish cases, get some red snapper fillets with the skin still on, and pan fry the snapper for a simple and delightful light dinner. Red Snapper sautés fast in a hot frypan, and you season and spice up the dish the way you like it or serve the snapper on its own and let the character of the fish shine.
You may roast the beets, make the salad dressing a couple of hours in advance, and then sear the snapper at the last minute before putting the salad together. Now gather your equipment, and let’s start cooking.
My favorite pan to get the perfect sear on Red Snapper is a 12.5 carbon steel nonstick fry pan from Mauviel M’Steel. The steel withstands high temperatures allowing for longer preheating and, thus, superior searing. Professional chefs and home cooks throughout the world use them.
How to Make Gordon Ramsay Pan-Fried Red Snapper Recipe
1. Preparing Pink Grapefruit Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the grapefruit juice, shallot, honey, and sherry vinegar, whisking well. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper
2. Preparing Roasted Beets for Salad: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel the beets and place them on two separate pieces of tin foil. Coat them lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until they are cooked through and easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 45–60 minutes.
3. Pan Sear Red-Snapper: Heat olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat (see also ‘Sea Scallops with Coconut Lemongrass Cream Sauce‘). When the foam subsides, season the red snapper fillets with salt and pepper and cook, skin-side down, for about 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Then turn the fillets over and sear the other side for another 2 minutes until just cooked through.
Pan Seared Red Snapper with Skin
4
servings20
minutes1
hour10
minutesCombine the grapefruit segments and radishes in a bowl. Toss with the pink grapefruit vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- Pink Grapefruit Dressing
1 Tbsp. 1 freshly squeezed pink
grapefruit juice
1 small 1 minced shallot
1 Tsp. honey
1 Tsp. sherry vinegar
¼ C. olive oil
salt and ground black Pepper to taste
- Roasted Beets
2 red baby beets, wash and clean
2 golden baby beets, wash and clean
Olive oil
salt and ground black Pepper to taste
- Pan-Fried Red Snapper
2 tablespoons 2 olive oil
2 tablespoons 2 butter
4 red snapper fillets, skin on, lightly scored
Sea salt and black pepper
1 grapefruit, cut into segments
2 radishes, sliced
1 teaspoon 1 chopped basil, + more for garnish
1 teaspoon 1 chopped cilantro, + more for garnish
Directions
- Pink Grapefruit Dressing
- In a small bowl, combine the grapefruit juice, shallot, honey, and sherry vinegar, whisking well. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Roasted Beets
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel the beets and place them on two separate pieces of tin foil. Coat them lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Wrap the beets in the foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until they are cooked through and easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 45–60 minutes.
- Red-Snapper
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, season the red snapper fillets with salt and pepper and cook, skin-side down, for about 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned.
- Then turn the fillets over and sear the other side for another 2 minutes until just cooked through.
Notes
- Adapted from Gordon RamsHells’ss’s Kitchen
