Ouzo Snapper with Fennel and Tomatoes

A licorice-scented liqueur that's the national drink of Greece turns whole roasted snapper into a dinner party wonder.

Whole snapper is rubbed with ouzo, a Greek licorice-scented liqueur, and roasted over a bed of tomatoes, fennel, and sweet onions in this simple yet satisfying recipe. Scoring the skin and rubbing a whole snapper with ouzo infuses the mild white fish with the liqueur’s complex licorice notes. The vegetables — tomatoes, fennel, and sweet onions — also get a splash of ouzo before roasting and offer a sweet and slightly acidic complement to the flaky fish.

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 (2-pound) whole snapper, cleaned and scaled
• 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 3/4 ounces) ouzo, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons roughly chopped fennel fronds, plus more for garnish