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Red Snapper With Almond Paste
(Hut B'noua)
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| What You Need: |
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˝ pound (l ˝ cups) blanched whole almonds
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange-blossom water (see Glossary)
2 tablespoons oil
A 3- to 3˝-pound red snapper, cleaned but with head and tail left on
1 cup finely chopped onions
˝ teaspoon pulverized saffron threads or powdered saffron
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the nuts in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them about frequently with a spoon. Watch carefully for any sign of burning.
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2. Transfer the nuts to an electric blender or a nut grinder and pulverize them with the sugar. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the cinnamon, orange-blossom water, water and oil.
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3. With a wooden spoon, mix and mash the ingredients to a smooth paste and set aside.
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4. Raise the oven heat to 400. Wash the fish inside and out with cold running water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels.
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5. Fill the cavity of the fish with half the almond paste, close the opening with small skewers, and crisscross kitchen string around them to secure them.
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6. With a pastry brush, spread 1 tablespoon of oil over the bottom and sides of a baking-serving dish just large enough to hold the fish comfortably. Place the fish in the dish and surround it with the chopped onions.
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7. Sprinkle with saffron, salt and pepper; then, using a metal spatula, spread the remaining almond paste evenly over the top of the fish, leaving the head and tail exposed.
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8. Top with the bits of butter and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the fish feels firm when prodded gently with your finger. Serve at once, directly from the dish.
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