Fennel Recipe: Pan-Seared Snapper with Fennel-Olive Topping

Per Sanderson's request, here is a very nice fennel recipe (quoted from my original post regarding hybrid Orion Fennel):

My daughter bought the book from which this recipe came as an anniversary gift (for mommy) several years ago.  It was an offering at her school book fair.

The name of the book is, Cooking Light - Fresh Food Fast - 5 Ingredient 15 minute recipes.

PAN-SEARED SNAPPER WITH FENNEL-OLIVE TOPPING

I'll begin by saying that this recipe works well with any firm white fish.  We have used cod and swai and tilapia.  Tilapia breaks easily though and I personally do not like the flavor of tilapia.

INGREDIENTS:

4 (6 oz) red snapper or other firm white fish fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray (or olive oil)
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 large tomato
3 tablespoons refrigerated olive tapenade (I recommend a green olive based tapanade, but any you can find will work).  In some stores it is simply called "olive paste."
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.  Sprinkle fillets evenly with salt and pepper (to taste, we often use less salt than is called for).  Heat a large non-stick (super important about non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan and fillets with cooking spray (note: my wife uses olive oil).  Add fish to pan, skin sides up.  Cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from pan.

2.  Coat pan with cooking spray (olive oil if you choose).  Add fennel and onion; saute 3 minutes.  Add tomato, tapenade and lemon juice; stir well.  Return fillets to pan, nestling them into fennel mixture.  Cook and cover 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Spoon fennel mixture over fillets to serve.  Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 3/4 cup fennel topping).

Both my wife and I have prepared this dish, but hers comes out better.  We often make enough for two fillets per person.  If a fennel bulb is a bit large, we just use the whole thing because we love fennel (that is, after my family has eaten their fill of yummy licorice flavored raw pieces).  We adjust the amount of tapenade depending on how much we have to cook.   With these slight variations, the dish can come out differently... but it makes no difference... we always find it to be delicious.  The fennel and onions come out firm in texture, which makes the dish very refreshing

Windmere - I came across this wonderful recipe while scrolling through old post. 

Red Fish is expensive and as you said Tilapia does not hold up well.  My DH fishes so we always have Red Fish (Red Drum) available.  A fish with perfect texture and flavor for your recipe. 

On my "Must Try" list.

I saved this to my favorites under recipes.

Thank you

Elizabeth, you are welcome and I am so glad you found this recipe appealing.  A little over a week ago, my wife made this dish using grouper (it was on sale).  With such a meaty white fish, it was outstanding.

THANK YOU for your wonderful recipe. 

Gardening has become my second favorite thing to do mainly because it provides me with wonderful vegetables and herbs to use in my cooking.

I'm allergic to seafood, but I make a fennel pesto dish that's a favorite at my house.  I serve it with chicken and brown rice.

This has been my best fennel season ever with Johnny Seeds' Zefa Fino Fennel. Knock on wood, I've not had any problems yet with aphids or nematodes as I have in the past with some random seed package from Ace Hardware.  The bulb size is much bigger too.