Provence
Born and raised in the Provence region of southeastern France, Felix Roux has been developing his culinary art since the age of 16, when he began his apprenticeship with his father at the Jane Madeleine Restaurant. Roux and his wife, Anne, have been operating restaurants across the U.S. for more than 40 years, eventually settling in Carrboro to bring regional French and Mediterranean cuisine to the Triangle.
Located in an old mill house on West Weaver Street, Provence draws in pedestrians to its inviting patio, where diners have the pleasure of having a whole fish deboned tableside.
Whole baked snapper provençal
Ingredients
1 whole snapper, scaled and gutted
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, sliced
½ onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ cup of olive oil
1 bunch of thyme or rosemary
¼ cup of white wine
2 teaspoons butter (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Gently mix the sliced tomato, onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Spread half of the mixture onto a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil.
Stuff the belly of the snapper with a bunch of thyme or rosemary and lay the fish flat over the tomato mixture. Cover the fish with the remaining mixture and sprinkle with olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper.
Bake for 35 minutes at 415 degrees, basting the fish every 10 minutes.
Add the white wine and butter to the baking tray five minutes before the fish is done to make a nice sauce.
Serve the fish with lemon wedges and garlic-infused olive oil.
Bon appétit!