Roasted Whole Snapper Recipes

WHOLE ROASTED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking dish or a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a rack.
• In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon zest, chopped thyme, garlic, chile flakes and kosher salt.
• Cut 3 diagonal slashes down to the bone on each side of the fish. Season fish all over, including inside the slashes and cavity, with mixture.
• Lay on the rack and stuff each slash and cavity with the thyme stems, sliced lemons and kumquats.
• Cook, without turning, until fish flakes with a fork and flesh is opaque in the center, about 20 minutes.
• Carve fish into four portions and transfer to plates. Drizzle with juices from the baking dish and garnish with flaky salt before serving.

EMERIL'S WHOLE ROASTED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Season the snappers with the salt and pepper. Place the tomato slices on the bottom of a large roasting pan in 2 columns of 4 tomato slices. Place 6 sprigs of rosemary across the each of the 2 rows of tomatoes. Lay the fish on top of the tomato slices, and divide the thyme leaves, orange zest and garlic cloves evenly over the tops of the 2 fish. Pour the wine and lemon juice around the fish, and drizzle each fish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the fish in the oven and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add another tablespoon of the olive oil to each of the fish. Return to the oven and continue to cook until well caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.
• Serve immediately, with the pan drippings drizzled over the top of the fish.

ROASTED WHOLE SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• In a heavy roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet, toss together the fennel, onions, 5 lemon quarters, and the wine. Rub the snapper all over with olive oil and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the herbs and the remaining lemons.
• Roast about 30 minutes (15 minutes for each inch of thickness), until the flesh just begins to flake.

WHOLE ROASTED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Begin with the yellow tail snapper; take all the bones out inside leaving the head and the tail. Then slit down the center of the fish with a sharp knife. And then inside, put shredded fennel, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil and sear the snapper. Precook the vegetables. While the fish is searing, add an array of vegetables, the veal glaze and lemon juice. Sear one side, then flip the fish to the other side. Then take the whole pan into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. It should come out nice and brown. Garnish with chives and parsley.

MOIST ROASTED WHOLE RED SNAPPER WITH TOMATOES, BASIL AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Stuff and cook the snapper: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. If the fins are still on the fish, use kitchen scissors to cut them off (they just fall apart when cooked). Sprinkle both the inside and the outside of the fish liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, whole basil leaves, oregano sprigs, garlic and lemon slices.
• Using a very large (14-inch) saute pan or a small roasting pan (oven safe) heat about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the fish and cook until well browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the fish over-use a large spatula and grab the tail if it's not too hot-and cook on the other side until well browned, about 2 minutes. Take the fish out of the pan and use wadded paper towels to wipe the pan clean of the oil.
• Cook the vegetables: Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, the tomatoes, potatoes, chopped oregano and a pinch of salt and cook until the tomatoes begin to lose some of their liquid, about 3 minutes. Return the fish to the pan, laying it on top of the vegetables and drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over it. Add the chicken broth to the pan and squeeze the remaining lemon half into the sauce in the pan. Cook on the stove another 3 to 4 minutes, basting the fish with the sauce and moving some of the tomatoes and potatoes in the pan on top of the fish.
• Finish cooking the fish in the oven safe pan in the oven 18 to 19 minutes. (To check for doneness, push the head down gently in the area between the nose and the top of the head; when the head easily moves away from the back of the neck, it is ready.)
• To serve: Remove the fish from the oven and carefully transfer it to a sided platter, pouring any liquid in its cavity back into the pan, and keep the fish warm. Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and cook the sauce and vegetables for a minute or two to concentrate the flavors. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, the chopped basil and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the fish and serve, using a large spoon to remove servings off the fish. (Don't forget to turn it over to eat off the other side!)

WHOLE ROASTED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread cubed vegetables evenly across a baking sheet, and bake until slightly tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the fish with cool water and season the insides with salt and pepper. In each fish, place sprigs of thyme, sage, and rosemary; a garlic clove, and a wedge of lemon.
• Remove vegetables to a medium saucepan, and reserve. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. Lightly oil the baking sheet that held the vegetables, and place the stuffed fish on it. Roast the fish at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until cooked to taste.
• While fish is cooking, add lemon juice, lime juice and white wine to the saucepan of vegetables. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, to reduce liquid slightly. Add butter, tomato, sage and oregano.
• Serve the whole roasted fish topped with vegetable sauce. Serve with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables.

ROASTED SNAPPER, ISLAND EDITION

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a large cast-iron skillet or small rimmed sheet pan (an aluminum quarter sheet pan is ideal) on the middle rack. Do this at least half an hour before cooking.
• Grind the allspice berries coarsely with a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic and grind to a chunky paste. Add the ginger and grind until broken up, then add the Scotch bonnet and grind to a paste.
• Stir in the thyme, half the lime zest, half the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• Cut 5 diagonal, shallow gashes across each side of the fish from the head to the tail. Try not to cut more than 1/3 of an inch deep. The cuts should be diagonal from belly to back but also diagonally into the flesh...on the bias.
• Lightly lube the fish with oil. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the salt, being careful to salt the cavity as well.
• Smear the paste onto the fish with a spoon, working it into the gashes. Repeat on the second side.
• Carefully place the fish on the preheated pan and roast for 12 to 15 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork.
• To remove, carefully work a metal spatula (a slotted "fish turner" is ideal) and carefully move to a cutting board or platter to serve with the lime wedges. Serving in pieces is virtually impossible so just let people eat directly off the board or platter.
• Consume...careful of the bones