Grilled Snapper with Ratatouille

Photo: Jill Chen / Istock

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SERVES
4 servings

PREP TIME
30 minutes

COOKING TIME
12 minutes

SHOPPING LIST
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
1 pound small zucchini
1 green bell pepper
1 large eggplant
1 large yellow onion
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 lemon
24 ounces snapper fillet
A crusty baguette

PANTRY ITEMS
Bay leaves
Black pepper
Sea salt
Garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil

SUGGESTIONS
Wine: Côtes du Rhône
Dessert: Fruit sorbet
Ratatouille makes terrific leftovers. Try it for breakfast with a poached egg

GAME PLAN
Refrigerate the snapper and preheat the grill or the broiler. Set the rack 3 inches from the heat source. Set out all the ingredients and tools you will need. Open the wine and pour yourself a glass immediately – you've got some chopping to do. Get someone to set the table.

Core the tomatoes, cut in half crosswise, and gently squeeze out the seeds. Rinse and trim the ends from the zucchini, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Rinse the eggplant, cut off the stem, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel and coarsely chop the onion.

Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Strip 1 teaspoon thyme leaves. Rinse and pat dry the parsley; pluck 1/2 cup of leaves. Peel and mince 1 clove of garlic. Rinse the lemon and cut it into super-thin rounds (use a mandolin if you have one).

Remove and bones from the snapper fillet, and rub it with olive oil. Cut it into 4 pieces. Arrange rounds of lemon on top of each piece of snapper, put the fish on a piece of foil and refrigerate.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When then oil is hot, but not smoking, add the eggplant. Salt the eggplant lightly, cook it, shaking and stirring, until it begins to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Remove it from the skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet then add the zucchini, the onions, and the bell pepper. Season lightly with salt. Cook the vegetable, stirring, until they start to turn golden at the edges and become soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the thyme, the bay leaf, and the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring until the bell pepper and onion are almost soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir. Season lightly with salt and a couple of grinds of pepper, and cook until the tomatoes come to a boil, about 4 minutes.

Mince the parsley. Put the snapper (on the foil) on the grill. Add the eggplant and any oil around it to the vegetables in the pan, stir and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer it to a serving dish.

Check the snapper – it's probably cooked through – it only takes a few minutes. If it isn't done, no problem. Leave it on the grill until it is cooked. The ratatouille is delicious at any temperature. When the snapper is cooked, season it with salt and pepper, and remove it from the grill.

Time to get everyone to the table. Have them carry the ratatouille and the bread. Put the snapper on a platter, and take that along with the wine. Dinner's on!

Recipe courtesy of NoTakeOut. The mission of NoTakeOut is to provide a complete menu, an express-line-friendly shopping list and a game plan to prepare a delicious, seasonal dinner. NoTakeOut goes beyond just a recipe by helping you buy and prepare an entire meal, not just a dish – and have fun in the process.

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