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Pan Seared Za'atar Snapper on a plate with rough chopped tomato sauce and rice pilaf

Pan Seared Za'atar Snapper

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword fish, healthy, Mediterranean, Mediterranean diet, Middle Eastern, snapper, zaatar
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Snapper Fillets
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
  • 1 cup Bell Peppers, diced, various colors
  • 1 cup Sweet Onions
  • 1 cup Roma Tomatoes
  • 1 14.5 oz, can Petite Diced Tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup Black Olives, sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon Za'atar Spice
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • Lemon Slices, for garnish
  • Fresh Parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make sure all the scales are removed from the skin and rinse the fish to remove any that are lingering.*
  2. Pat the fillets completely dry with paper towel. This will help prevent the fish from sticking to the pan. **
  3. Make 3 or 4 diagonal slits on the skin side. This helps the flavor to penetrate on that side. ***
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper only the skin side of the fillets and place them skin side down in the skillet. If you have to cook in batches, season only the fillets that are going in the skillet right away. Do not season the other pieces until you are ready to place them in the skillet. ****
  5. Cook each fillet about 3-5 minutes on the skin side. Just before flipping the fillets, salt and pepper the side facing up. Flip each fillet and cook for another 3 minutes or until the fillet removes easily from the pan.
  6. Place the cooked fillet on a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.
  7. Add the remaining olive oil. Add the bell peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
  8. Next, add in the remaining items - tomatoes, the can of diced tomatoes, olive slices, za'atar, cumin, and coriander. Stir and heat through, about 2 minutes.
  9. Add the fish fillets back in the skillet and slightly nestle them in the sauce. All the fish to rewarm and the sauce to thicken, about 5 minutes.
  10. Serve with lemon slices and fresh parsley as garnishes. Use the lemon slices to squeeze some lemon juice on the fish before eating to add a bright citrusy note to the fish.

Recipe Notes

Cooking Notes

*Scaling fish is not difficult and does not need to be messy. It takes almost no practice to get it right. Just follow these instructions: First, dry the fillets with a paper towel. Next, position the fillet so you are holding the end that was near the tail. Hold you knife straight up-and-down and scrape along the skin from the tail end toward the head end, going against the grain. There is no need to press hard. Rinse the fillet to remove the loose scales form the fish.

**As noting in the post, wet fish sticks to the pan, so you want it as dry as possible before you put it in the pan.

***The juices and flavor cannot penetrate the skin; therefore, you need to make slits in the skin for the flavors to penetrate the meat.

****Salt draws out the natural liquids in meat. This is not good when pan searing fish. Only salt the side that's going down in the skillet immediately before placing it in the pan or flipping the fillet.

 

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Snapper - you can use other flat white fillets that are available where you live. Tilapia works well here and is authentic to the cuisine.

Bell Peppers - I like color to my meals so I use red and orange, but you can use other colors to mix it up a bit.

Sweet Onions - you can use yellow onions instead, but the sweet onions add a nice flavor to the meal.

Roma Tomatoes - you can sub the tomatoes of your choice.

Canned Diced Tomatoes - you can use all fresh, but the canned adds a nice sauce with it.

Black Olives - I like to buy the pre-sliced olives to save a little time.

 

Variations

Capers. Capers add a lemony briny flavor to a dish. I don't like the taste of the actual caper, but I do love the flavor they bring to the party. So, if you're like me, just use them for the flavor and just take them out when eating. Otherwise, enjoy them if you like them!

Feta Cheese. I love adding feta to meals like this. For a nice touch, when you add the fish back into the skillet, sprinkle some feta all over the top. Then place the whole skillet in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Fresh Cilantro. Cilantro adds a different flavor than parsley and is widely used in Mediterranean food.

Fresh Garlic. No, I didn't forget to add the garlic. I left it out deliberately. However, you can add it in for a little boost of flavor.

Eggplant. Diced eggplant works so well with this meal. It will also make the sauce go further.