To the Lighthouse – for BBQ snapper

I recently returned home to Australia for the wedding of two very lovely friends. The ceremony was under a huge tree in a botanical garden, and the reception overlooking Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda.  

After a fabulous dinner at The Aylesbury, with ricotta nudie that was so good it brought a tear to my eye, I headed to the coast, to catch up with more family and friends. 

When I was home earlier in the year, some friends and I baked a snapped on the BBQ, and it was incredibly succulent. As soon as I mentioned to my brother that I was planning on barbequing a snapper for friends at their holiday house in Airey’s Inlet, he offered up a fish he’d caught over the weekend. A sizable six pound fish! He also volunteered to come to dinner to help eat it – as there was far too much for the three of us. 

The fish was delicious although the BBQ was perhaps a little hot and singed the outside a little more than I would have liked. Next time, I’d cook if for longer on a lower heat.

Airey’s Inlet is also gorgeous. A tiny town on the Great Ocean Road, with giant sandstone cliffs, secluded beaches, and a proud little lighthouse.   

Here’s the recipe:

Whole fresh snapper (gutted and clean)

Ginger

Chilli

Dukkah

Lemons

Foil (enough to wrap the fish)

Step 1: Get your brother, or your fishmonger, to clean and gut the fish (to my mind, that’s certainly not the most romantic part of fishing). Light the BBQ.   

Step 2: Chop the ginger and chilli finely, and coat both sides of the fish in it. Sprinkle dukkah over both sides.

 

Step 3: Slice the lemons and make a line on top of the fish.

Step 4: Wrap the fish in foil and pop it on the BBQ. You will need to cook the fish on both sides. The time on each side depends on the size of the fish and the heat of the BBQ. The best way to ascertain when each side is cooked is be opening foil packed and using a fork to break open the skin of the fish to expose the flesh. You will know it is cooked when it is soft and white. 

Enjoy! Got a favorite way to cook snapper? Please share it, I'd love to try it!

 

Apple and Ginger Chutney

Home grown seems to be catching on in our neighbourhood, with our household fast becoming the place to deliver any overflow. A couple of days ago my friend Jen brought over a bag of cooking apples. They weren’t from her tree, she’s got pears, but from a photographer named John, whom Jen was working with on a shoot.

I gratefully accepted the fruit and got to thinking about making a robust and tangy apple chutney. In our house, on nights we don’t cook, or eat out, we often enjoy a Ploughman’s. Our version includes a chunk of mature cheddar, some home grown lettuce, tomatoes and beetroot, and perhaps some hummus and whole wheat pitta bread. If we have any in the house, we’ll add chutney. We serve it on one big board, as opposed to individual plates, and dive in.

For an extra kick, I infused the apples and onions with freshly grated ginger. The spicy, peppery, slightly sweet, but pungent taste plays well against the apples. Instead of using sugar, as called for in most chutney recipes, I sweetened this one with a local apple juice.

Recipe
5 cooking apples (preferably from a friend, or a friend of a friend), peeled and chopped into small cubes
2 brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 table spoons fresh chopped ginger
1 lemon
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice
4 cloves
2 sterilized jars

Sautee the onions and ginger for a few minutes. In a bowl, squeeze the lemon over the apple cubes. Then add the apple to the onions and ginger. Stir occasionally on a medium heat, until the apples soften. Then add the apple cider vinegar and the apple juice. Drop in the cloves.

Simmer until the liquid has significantly reduced. This will likely take around 25mins. Check the chutney is at the correct consistency by dragging a wooden spoon through the mixture. If it runs back together, the chutney requires more reduction, if not, it’s done.

Remove from heat and cool. Once cooled, remove the cloves, and place the mixture in the jars and seal.

Try and leave for two weeks before consuming. And remember, chutney's and preserves make excellent homemade gifts. Given this recipe makes two jars - go on, share the love!

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and recipes. Do you have a favourite chutney recipe? If so, I’d love to read it.