Baked Red Snapper with Lemon and Garlic

Fish is healthy. A simple but true statement. Unfortunately it’s also one of the costlier healthy foods. So when it goes on sale, I get it, because it’s delicious. So I went to the store the other day and they had a selection of fish on sale. Lo and behold this beautiful fish looked back at me from behind the glass. Baked red snapper with lemon and garlic for dinner tonight

I live in south Florida, there’s fish in abundance down here, all different shapes sizes and colors. And Red Snapper is one of the most popular wild caught fish. So popular, in fact, it’s conservation status is “vulnerable” for over fishing. It is sad when we over harvest an entire species to the brink of extinction, think about the whales.

The fish

The Red Snapper belongs to Snapper fish family, Mutton Snapper, Dog Snapper and Mangrove Snapper are some other examples. Obviously, by definition, the Red Snapper is red. It is the most popular caught fish of the Snapper family, mostly weighing in below 10 pounds, however they have been caught at up to 40 pounds. Most of what I’ve seen at the store is in the 3-5 pound range. A 4 pound fish will feed four people, remember there’s a head, tail and bones that won’t get eaten

As with most fish, Red Snapper is definitely a part of a healthy diet. It is a good source of lean protein, high in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. Red Snapper meat has a light, sweet flavor. The flavor can be easily lost to the other ingredients. So as with some of my other recipes, I cook it simple and let it’s own flavor shine

The prep

As with anything, before you cook, you prepare. With fish, that’s pretty simple. Whole or filets. Sometimes that isn’t an option as with Mahi Mahi or Swordfish, these fish are big, and the meat is processed at the fishmonger. With a fish the size of Red Snapper, well, we do have a choice. My preference is whole. I think its more flavorful, and there’s more meat available. The fishmonger will have gutted and descaled the fish. If you don’t like the fish looking at you from the plate, feel free to have him remove the head too

The seasonings for this are simple and complimentary for the fish. Most grocery stores offer packs of fresh herbs for specific meats, look for the one for fish. Cut a lemon into 1/4 inch slices, a few sprigs of fresh Dill per fish, a couple of cloves of garlic per fish. Just crush the cloves a bit with the flat of a knife on the cutting board, that will let the flavor out. Some coarse salt too. Kosher salt works well, it’s naturally coarse, so it doesn’t dissolve during cooking so you can taste it better. As with everything that you do in the kitchen, remember stay clean and safe. Read this post, its very informative

The cooking

On to the fish. Rub a little oil on the skin, and sprinkle with the Kosher salt. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, put a couple of lemon slices and lay the fish on top. Cut a few diagonal slits in the exposed side of the fish, this will allow the citrus flavor into the flesh. Put the Dill and the garlic in the belly cavity and a couple of lemon slices on top. Put this in a 375 degree oven for about 45 mins. To check for doneness the flesh should be flaky. Serving is simple, slide a slice from the head end between the meat and the bone, and remove to a plate. Then, pick up the tail and you should just be able to lift the bone off the bottom filet. Now remove the bottom filet to the plate.

And there you have it, baked red snapper with lemon and garlic Serve with your choice of side. Thank you and enjoy the fish