As our palates ease up for the warmer weather ahead, it’s not always easy to find a quick and simple seafood recipe that you can cook on a weeknight with no stress at all.

Peter Gilmore’s steamed snapper recipe is stupefyingly simple and absolutely delicious. It’s healthy too, with lots of greens and very little oil. Earn a few extra brownie points by serving with brown rice or quinoa.

Check out other recipes from Peter Gilmore’s recent home entertaining masterclass, organised by Electrolux.

Steamed snapper fillet with soy and ginger, stir fried snow peas, spring onions and chili threads

Serves 8

2 large 800 gms snapper fillets with skin on
100 gms fresh ginger root
2 bunches spring onions
100 mls salt reduced soy
50 mls mirin
300 gms young snow peas
2 punnets snow pea sprouts
2 large pinches Korean chili threads (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 teaspoons grapeseed oil

Method

1. Take one bunch of spring onions using only the first 12cm of the white and firm green part. Julienne this finely and place in cold water to soak. Put aside. Choose a large dish that will fit inside your steam oven with shallow sides. Stainless steel or ceramic would be preferable. Slice the remaining bunch of the spring onions thinly using mainly the white and solid green stems. Discard the top 15 cm of tips. Peel and finely slice the ginger. Place the spring onions and ginger on the bed of your dish.

2. Make sure the snapper has been fully scaled and any pin bones removed. Your fish monger should be able to do this for you. Cut through the snapper skin into five diagonal cuts about ½ cm deep. Place both fillet on the bed of ginger and spring onions. Mix the salt reduced soy and mirin together. Pour this mixture over the fish allowing it to run down and settle in the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish tightly with cling film. Cut a few small holes in the top of the cling film to allow some steam to escape. Place the fish into a preheated steam oven on high and steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. (Note: a standard steamer over a stove will give you the same result).

3. Remove the fish from the oven and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. Carefully remove the fish fillets to your serving platter using a fish slice or palette knife. Keep the fish covered and warm. Strain the ginger, spring onions and juices through a fine sieve. Discard the solids and place the juices in a small saucepan. Reduce the juices by half to intensify the flavour. Put aside and keep warm.

4. In a wok place the sesame and grapeseed oil. Add the snow peas and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the pea sprout tips. Place the snow peas and tips over the top of the fish fillets, pour the juices over the fish and peas. Garnish with spring onion and chilli threads. Serve with steamed rice.