Recipes

Open-Faced Rye, Poached Red Snapper, Pickled Radish, and Salsa Verde Sandwich

  • Serves

    serves 4-6

JAMES FISHER

For this open-faced sandwich at Tasmania's Betsey Cafe, chef David Moyle uses the fish bones to make a flavorful stock, which is then used for poaching the fillets.

Ingredients

  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 large watermelon radish, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 14 cups white wine vinegar
  • 14 cup sugar
  • 1 cup olive oil, plus more
  • 1 cup packed basil leaves
  • 1 cup packed dill fronds
  • 1 cup packed parsley leaves
  • 5 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed
  • 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 shallot, peeled
  • 10 whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground to taste
  • 1 (2-lb.) red snapper, cleaned
  • 1 12 cups dry white wine
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 6 slices (¼"-thick) dark, seeded rye bread, halved and toasted
  • 8 red radishes, thinly sliced
  • 14 cup picked fennel fronds
  • 1 12 oz. stale country bread

Instructions

Step 1

Using a vegetable peeler, peel carrot into ribbons; place in a bowl. Toss with salt, bay leaves, and watermelon radish. Boil 1 cup vinegar, the sugar, and ⅓ cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan; let cool and pour over carrot mixture. Cover; chill 2 hours. Purée remaining vinegar, the country bread, oil, basil, dill, parsley, anchovies, avocado, garlic, shallot, salt, and ground pepper in a blender until smooth; set salsa aside.

Step 2

Fillet fish, reserving bones, head, and tail; set fillets aside. Rinse bones, head, and tail and place in a 6-qt. saucepan. Add peppercorns, the wine, lemon zest, and 2½ cups water; boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, skimming as needed, for 8 minutes. Let stock cool, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and return to saucepan; bring to a simmer. Poach fillets until cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Transfer fillets to a plate and discard skin; flake fish into 2" pieces. To serve, arrange rye bread on plates. Top with snapper; garnish with reserved pickled carrot and radish, salsa verde, the fresh radishes, fennel fronds, and olive oil.

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