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Roasted Red Snapper, Glossy Tomato Oil & Herby Potato–Vegetable Salad with Samphire A February fish dish for brighter days ahead As winter begins to loosen its grip, there’s a moment in February where the light changes almost imperceptibly.

 

The days stretch a little longer, the air feels softer, and suddenly you start craving food that’s fresher, lighter, and closer to the sea.

Red snapper is perfect for this moment — a beautiful whole fish with firm, sweet flesh and skin that crisps beautifully when cooked well. Paired with a glossy tomato oil and a herby potato and vegetable salad, this dish feels coastal, warming, and quietly optimistic.

 

Seasoned simply, using sea salt in collaboration with Herbamare, it’s about letting good ingredients do what they’re meant to do. This is food that looks forward — towards spring, towards sunnier days, and towards cooking that feels fresh again.

 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Fish • 2 whole red snapper (500 g each), scaled and gutted

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp finely ground spicy salt (chilli salt) Glossy Tomato Oil

• 250 g cherry tomatoes

• 120 ml olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove

• 1½ tsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp reserved sieved tomato pulp

• Pinch sea salt Herby Potato–Vegetable Salad with Samphire

• 400 g new potatoes

• 150 g green beans

• 1 small fennel bulb (about 200 g), finely shaved

• 120 g samphire

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1½ tbsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp Herbamare sea salt

• Fresh dill, finely chopped, to finish

Method

1. Roast and grill the snapper Heat the oven to 220°C fan.

Pat the red snapper completely dry, inside and out. Lightly score the skin on both sides. Rub with olive oil, then season evenly with the ground spicy salt. Place the fish on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 12–14 minutes. Carefully remove the baking paper, then place the fish under a hot grill for 2–3 minutes to crisp the skin. Do not grill with the baking paper in place.

 

2. Make the glossy tomato oil Place the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil in a small roasting dish. Roast at 180°C for about 20 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelised. Blend while hot until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. Spoon one tablespoon of the sieved tomato pulp back into the oil to give it a little body and depth. Stir in the tomato purée, season lightly with sea salt, and keep warm.

 

3. Prepare the salad Boil the new potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and lightly crush. Blanch the green beans for 2–3 minutes, then add them to the warm potatoes along with the shaved fennel and samphire. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Herbamare sea salt. Finish with fresh dill.

 

4. Serve Spoon the warm glossy tomato oil onto plates. Place the roasted red snapper on top and serve alongside the herby potato, vegetable, and samphire salad.

 

This is the kind of cooking that feels right as the seasons shift — fresh, balanced, and quietly uplifting. Give it a try, cook it your way, and see how it makes you feel. Let me know what you think x chris