Groper with Tomato and Basil Salad

November 18, 2003

I was attending a very pleasant lunch at one of the city's best hotels the other day. As I gazed around the room at everyone wearing their best bib and tucker, sipping wine and relishing the delightful food, I was immensely pleased they couldn't see what I was doing not an hour earlier.

I'd called a cab to take me downtown and had just headed out the door to wait for it when I heard this rather plaintive little miaow from nearby. I looked up on the roof that spans our barbecue area and there, peeking down at me was precious little white puss, Rosie. She had walked along the top of an adjoining fence and leapt up onto the roof, but clearly didn't have the nerve for the return journey.

I didn't have the time to go down to the garage for our large ladder but pulled out a small stepladder and managed to get up to the top of that. I should mention at this stage I have absolutely no head for heights and if I am on a ladder, I need something I can grab with my hand - a wall, a shelf or, in this case the edge of the roof.

Rosie came over to me when I called her, but when I tried to scoop her up under her tummy, she backed off. In the end I had to grab her by the scruff of the neck. It was at this stage I realised that with a cat in my right hand, I could no longer clutch at the wall on that side to maintain my balance. And I was wearing high heeled shoes…

I had to go for broke and swung the cat off the roof, planning to drop her and then grab at the wall before I lost my balance. But she decided to dig her claws into my forearm as I pulled her off the roof. We reached a kind of impasse. I was frozen to the spot. She wouldn't let go of me. I couldn't spend the afternoon perched on the top of the step ladder so in the end I had to lower my arm, release my grip on Rosie's scruff and hope she would detach herself gently. For a small cat she has a mean grip - and long claws. She hung on there for a while before getting the idea that the ground was not too far away and she dropped off.

I managed to descend to earth without breaking anything, just as the cab driver tooted his presence. As we travelled into the city, I discovered my arm bleeding fairly profusely under my jacket sleeve. I was able to stem most of the flow with a handkerchief and hoped that my fellow guests didn't notice my O Positive mingling with the pattern on my sleeve as I sipped the Riesling and tucked into the first course. Fortunately it was a predominantly black jacket.

The lunch occasion was the launch of my friend Ruth Pretty's third cookbook. Ruth, as I have mentioned in this column before, is the queen of caterers in my home city, Wellington (www.ruthpretty.co.nz). In fact she will be presiding over the kitchen for the forthcoming world premiere here of the third film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy next month.

The fare served was taken from her new book. We started with vigneron's salad with lemon and herb dressing accompanied by soft white rolls. The main course was barbecued groper with a tomato basil salad and sherry vinegar butter sauce, asparagus and herbed potato cakes. For dessert there was Christmas pudding ice cream with strawberries with grappa. The ice cream was served in an inverted cone shape - like a Christmas tree - with a triangular tuile and the strawberry pieces were in a little chocolate container.

Inspired by Ruth's tasty fish recipe, I bought some groper when I was on one of my grand tours of the local produce outlets. As The Spouse was out of town and I needed only a small quantity, I didn't make Ruth's sherry vinegar butter sauce (made with reduced chicken stock and sherry vinegar, whisked with butter and finished with lemon juice, salt and pepper). But I did make a vinaigrette with some good Spanish sherry vinegar and a fine local extra virgin organic olive oil.

I am not specific about the amount of fish as some people are happy with a small piece and others will eat 250g with enthusiasm.

Groper with tomato and basil salad

Fresh groper fillets
Olive oil
Italian tomatoes
Basil leaves
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
Maldon sea salt
Rocket

Cut the groper into neat serving pieces (little tail ends can be cut off and given to the cat - if it is still in favour). Sprinkle the fish with oil and spread it on evenly with your fingers.

Place a nest of rocket leaves on each plate and cut the tomatoes into long wedges and arrange on the plates. Garnish the tomato with basil leaves.

Whisk together the sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the tomatoes.

Heat your barbecue hotplate or a pan (I use a cast iron grill plate that spans two gas rings on my kitchen hob.) Cook the fish for about three minutes on one side, turn and cook a further 3-4 minutes. Place on the rocket. Season. Garnish with lemon wedges. I also added a few miniature poppadums to savour with the rocket.