Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Kumquat Compote
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 serrano chiles, minced fine
• 15 kumquats, sliced thin
  
  
Salad
• 4 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
• 1 ounce sour cream
• 4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ounce sherry vinegar
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• ½ pound haricot verts, trimmed and blanched
• 1 red onion, julienned
  
  
Sauce
• 1 cup white wine
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 8 ounces butter, cubed and chilled
• 2 sprigs tarragon, trimmed and chopped
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
  
  
Snapper
• 4 (6 ounce) snapper filets, boneless, skin on
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1 head Mizuna lettuce, cleaned and trimmed
• Fresh tarragon, minced, for garnish

Method:

For Kumquat Compote:
In a small pot, combine sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, chiles and kumquats. Simmer over very low heat 1 hour. Cool and reserve. This can be done up to 2 weeks in advance.

For Salad:
Sort through crabmeat for loose shell bits and grit, reserve. In mixing bowl, combine sour cream and olive oil with sherry vinegar. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Add haricot verts, red onion and crabmeat and mix gently. Refrigerate. Salad can be made up to 2 hours in advance.

For Sauce:
Reduce white wine and lemon juice in small saucepan. When reduction is almost dry, remove from heat and whisk in butter, a few cubes at a time. Add tarragon and season with salt and white pepper. This can be done 1 hour ahead of time, but be sure to keep warm, but not over 125°F. If too hot, the sauce may break.

For Snapper:
Season snapper with salt and white pepper and place, skin side down, in a medium hot skillet. Press gently on fish with the back of a spatula to avoid curling. This helps to ensure that all the skin crisps to perfection. Lower heat to medium, then turn fish after about 1½ to 2 minutes.

To Serve:
Combine crabmeat salad with the lettuce and mound in center of plates. Arrange the snapper filets on top of salad mounds and spoon some tarragon butter sauce around fish. Top fish with a spoonful of room temperature kumquat compote and garnish with fresh tarragon.