Red Snapper with Tomato-Onion Compote

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally until completely tender and sweet, about 30 minutes. If any of the onions stick to the bottom of the pan, stir in a few tablespoons of water. This will release the onions and coat them with a sweet caramelized flavor. Set the pan aside. Core the tomatoes and cut them in half widthwise. Place them cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the ovens upper rack and roast until the skin blisters and begins to curl away from the tomatoes, about 30-40 minutes. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle yet still warm, gently lift the skin from the tomato and squeeze out the seeds. Combine the tomatoes with the cooked onions. Add the sherry vinegar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until slightly thick. Stir in the minced tarragon, 1/4 teaspoon salt and half the pepper, and remove from the heat. The compote can be prepared up to one day ahead to this point, and stored, covered and refrigerated. Dredge the skin-side of the snapper in the flour and season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the snapper skin-side down for 4-5 minutes. Turn the fish over with a spatula and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. While the fish is cooking return the compote to a simmer. When the fish is done, transfer the compote to a serving platter and arrange the snapper fillets on top. Yield: 6 servings Recipe by: CHEF DU JOUR SHOW #DJ9268 - MICHAEL ROMANO