Snapper with Black Bean Sauce

Like many of us, our From Sea to Sizzle columnist Bea Bagnall developed a taste for cooking kaimoana via opportunity and necessity. She and partner Tony Orton have travelled the world together, crewing on several vessels where Tony ran the bridge and Bea the galley. Bea developed a great range of recipes as they globe-trotted about. Although an accomplished angler in her own right, Bea likes nothing more than experimenting with the catch in the galley, specialising in simple recipes with commonly available ingredients. With her and Tony’s home base now firmly established in Mangawhai, where they run a charter operation and a lodge, fresh ingredients from both the land and sea are never far away. Bea’s recipes reflect this…

Ingredients:
• 4 snapper fillets cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 Tbsp sushi rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 packet rice noodles, thin or thick
• 200 grams spinach
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 spring onion – finely sliced
• 1 fresh chilli finely chopped
or 1/4 tsp dried chilli
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup black beans,
drained and rinsed
• 1/2-1 cup vege stock

Method:

1) In a medium glass bowl, place the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and corn flour. Mix together and add the snapper pieces. Stir to coat and set aside.

2) Place the rice noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 8-10 minutes until they are soft. Drain and set aside. If the noodles stick together, just run under warm water to separate them.

3) Place the spinach in a double-boiler or pot and cook until slightly wilted. Try not to overcook the spinach – this can happen very quickly so keep an eye on it. Once wilted, set aside.

4) Heat the olive oil in a wok and place over medium/ high heat. Add the spring onion, chilli, ginger, garlic and beans and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the fish and marinade liquid to the wok. Cook for approximately 3 minutes until the fish is almost cooked through. Remove the fish and set aside.

5) Add the veggie stock to the wok. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Return the fish to the wok and spoon the liquid over the fish. Cover the wok with a lid and continue to cook until the fish is opaque and cooked through – roughly another 3 minutes.

6) To serve, place the rice noodles in a bowl, layer with the wilted spinach then place the snapper and black bean sauce on top. ENJOY!

May 2022 - Bea Baganll
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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