How to Bake Red Snapper
Red snapper is a beautiful fish characterized by its bright red or metallic pink skin. It is most commonly found in the Caribbean and along the mid-atlantic coast. Today we are going to share with you some best practices to follow when baking a red snapper recipe.
When you are choosing a fillet at your fishmongers, you want to make sure the fish is firm to the touch and doesn’t smell too “fishy.” Generally if a fish is squishy to the touch and smells too much of fish it is starting to go bad. You want the flesh of the fish to bounce back at your touch and have a nice clean smell. It is best to choose a snapper fillet that has the skin on it as that helps to hold the fish together while it is cooking and delivers a great flavor too.
A higher heat is good for baking your fish fillets as that cooks them quickly and locks in the moisture. You also want only subtle flavors to season your fish; you don’t want to overwhelm its delicate flavor. Scoring the skin side of the fillet before putting it in the oven will help the fish to stay flat and not curl up and will also help your seasoning flavor all of the fish and not just the outside.
All of these tips should help you cook a wonderfully moist, flaky, and delicious snapper fillet. Now that you know how to bake a red snapper, we’re going to a share a Cameron’s Seafood baked red snapper recipe!
Red Snapper Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 – 2lb Cameron’s Red Snapper Fillet
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 3-4 slices of lemon
Instructions
The first step of this baked red snapper fillet recipe is preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take your Cameron’s red snapper fillet and score it on the skin side about halfway through the fish and 2 inches apart; this will allow the herb mixture to permeate the meat of the fish and keep the fish from curling up.
Put your olive oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and salt and pepper into a food processor and blend until the garlic and herbs are in tiny pieces. Line a baking dish that is large enough to fit your fillet with foil and place your lemon slices on the foil. Rub your herb mixture all over your red snapper fillet and inside the scores you made on the fish.
Place the red snapper on top of the lemon slices and bake for about 15 minutes. You are going to want to check your snapper starting at around 12 minutes. You want it to be fork flakey but not overdone. If it is too rubbery and not flakey, it needs some more time in the oven.
We found that these red snapper fillets are great served with roasted potatoes and a salad, but there are so many options you could choose as your side. A simple brown butter sauced pasta or rice pilaf would be lovely too.
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Happy fishing!
By: Melanie Craighead
