Groper roasted with Red Pepper Butter

Ingredients

• One nice thick slab of groper per person
• 200g butter, cubed and softened
• Cherry tomatoes
• Tomato juice
• 1 leek, julienned and softened in a pan with a little seasoning and chicken broth…or water
• Red pepper butter

Method

Burn the skins off 2 red peppers over gas flame. Wash and de-seed.

Place in the food processor with 200g butter that has been cubed and softened.

Process until all is combined.  There will always be red flecks, but the whole effect should be of an orange sweet pepper butter.

Set aside.

To Cook

Preheat oven to 220°C.  It would be preferable to use a pan that can go in to the oven and then onto the stove top to reduce the pan juices…..however, you could tip the pan juices from a low sided oven-proof casserole or flan dish into a pan and reduce them.

Place a lump of leek with a piece of groper on top around the ovenproof, low sided pan with space between them. Too crowded and the dish will steam not roast!

Place a generous dollop of red pepper butter on top of each piece of groper.

Season lightly with salt.

Scatter cherry tomatoes around the pan.

Tip over ¼ cup of tomato juice that is diluted 3 times with chicken broth, or failing that, water. It is not meant to be a strong tomato flavour.

Place the pan into the hot oven.  Roast for 12 – 15 minutes until fish is cooked. This will depend entirely on the dimensions of the pieces of fish……

Place fish on plates and arrange the nicely blistered cherry tomatoes in such a way as to please your eye.

Reduce the pan juices to a syrupy consistency and divide evenly between the plates of fish.

John Hawkesby’s wine suggestion

Riesling

Felton Road 2007

Crossroads 2006