Crispy Skin Snapper with Blood Orange, Fennel & Green Olives

Gently dry the skin of the snapper well with paper towel – this is important for getting a crispy skin. Carefully remove any pin bones using fish tweezers and set the fish aside on a plate, skin side up. If doing this a few hours in advance, keep the fish uncovered, skin side up, in the fridge, which will help further dry the skin.

Cut the fennel in half and shave finely, about 1mm thick, on a mandolin or with a sharp knife. Top and tail the blood oranges and, using a small, sharp knife, cut around the orange to remove the skin, following the curve of the fruit. Slice the peeled blood oranges into 5mm thick rounds.

Roughly chop half the dill and mint, and add to the fennel with the remaining whole dill and mint leaves and the green olives. Do not dress the salad yet.

Preheat a skillet over high heat.

Season the fish with flaked sea salt on both sides. Add the 2 tbsp olive oil to the hot pan, then carefully add the fish skin side down and, keeping over the heat, press down on the fillets with a fish spatula for 15-20 seconds.

Manage the heat, turning down to medium/high if needed so the fish is caramelising evenly. You will start to see the sides of the fish browning and the flesh becoming opaque (you can cover with a lid at this point, which helps speed up the cooking).

Cook the fish on the skin side most of the way, approximately 3 minutes for this size snapper, as they are thinner fillets. Then carefully flip the fish, remove the pan from the heat, and after 20 seconds, remove the fish from the pan to a plate.

Dress the fennel salad with the chardonnay vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, flaked sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, then gently toss.

To serve, layer the fennel salad and blood orange slices onto serving plates and top with the cooked snapper.