Best Salt Roasted Red Snapper Recipes

WHOLE RED SNAPPER BAKED IN SALT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse and dry the fish thoroughly. Whisk together the egg whites and water and combine with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your hands to distribute the water and egg whites in the salt. The salt mixture should hold together when you press a mound of it together between the palms of your hands. If it doesn't, work in another egg white.
• Fill a baking dish that is 2 inches longer than the fish about 1/3 full of the salt mixture. Place the fish on top. Cover the fish with the rest of the salt mixture and smooth the salt over with a spatula. Place the fish in the oven for about 40 minutes. The only way to know whether the fish is done is by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the layer of salt and measuring the temperature of the fish. When it reaches 135 degrees F, take it out, and serve immediately.
• Bring the fish to the table on a baking sheet or on a large platter and crack it with a mallet or even a hammer. Pull back the salt layer, then peel off the skin with a fork. Serve on hot plates.

SALT-ROASTED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse fish thoroughly inside and out until no traces of blood remain. Pat fish dry with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, stir together salt and egg whites until thoroughly combined. Place a 1/2-inch layer of salt mixture in the bottom of a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Place lemon rounds, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves on top of salt, arranging ingredients so they form shape of fish and reserving some of each ingredient. Fill fish cavity with reserved lemons and herbs; place the fish on top of mixture.
• Pour the remaining salt over fish, completely covering the body; the tail can stick out of the pan. Using your fingers, pat down salt, completely sealing the fish.
• Place pan in center of oven. Cook fish until done, allowing 15 minutes per pound. (One way chefs check for doneness is to insert a carving fork or metal skewer through the salt crust and into the fish, then place it to the chin under lower lip for 15 seconds; if the metal feels very warm, the fish is done.) Remove pan from oven; let sit 5 minutes.
• Gently break away crust. Transfer fish to a cutting board. Using a paring knife and your fingers, peel away skin. Separate, and serve.

SALT CRUSTED WHOLE RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• When cooking with a whole fish you must first be sure that the fish is gutted, your local fish market will do this for you. The skin should be scaled and the gills and fins removed. Leave on the head and tail. Rinse the fish inside and out then pat dry.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the parsley, orange, fennel, bay leaves, shallot, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and 1/4-cup olive oil. Stuff the cavity of the fish with 3/4 of the mixture, then spread the remaining 1/4 on the bottom of a roasting pan so the fish will not stick.
• Transfer the fish to the roasting pan and rub the skin with remaining olive oil. In another bowl, whip the egg whites to a stiff peak, then fold in the salt to make a paste. Smear the salt paste over the entire fish and roast in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The egg whites form a hard crust that will crack like a shell. To serve, scoop the flesh from the fish with a spoon.

WHOLE RED SNAPPER BAKED IN A SALT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• In a bowl stir together salt and water until combined well. On a large baking sheet spread half of salt mixture in a rectangle just larger than the red snapper and set fish on top. Halve lemon crosswise and cut 3 slices from 1 half, reserving remaining half. Insert slices into cavity of fish. Pat remaining salt mixture over fish to cover completely and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes.
• Rap all around edge of salt crust with the back of a large spoon to loosen and lift top off. Squeeze juice from reserved lemon half over fish and drizzle with oil.

ROASTED RED SNAPPER WITH FRESH HERBS, GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat dry the fish and rub inside and out with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the fish in an oiled baking dish and bake it for 20 minutes, or until it flakes easily. Transfer to a serving plate, pour juices around fish and garnish with lemon wedges and fresh herbs.;

SALT-ENCRUSTED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Position a rack in the middle of oven. In a bowl, stir together salt and one cup water until salt is evenly moistened. Score both sides of the fish, cutting slits just through skin to expose a little flesh. Sprinkle inside cavity lightly with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Rub two tablespoons of the herbs into cavity and insert lemon slices. Rub one tablespoon chopped herbs onto each side of the fish, pressing into slits.
• Spread half the salt mixture in an oval just larger than the fish on a large baking sheet. Set fish on top of the salt. Pat remaining salt mixture over fish to cover completely and mold around curves of the fish. It's okay for the tail to stick out a little bit. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and rap edges of salt crust to loosen it. Lift the crust from fish. It's okay if the skin comes away with crust.
• To serve, use a spatula to cut exposed side of fish into two portions and place on two warmed dinner plates. Lift tail to remove bones in one piece and expose other side. Cut that side into two portions, lift it from bottom salt and place on warmed plates. Drizzle each portion with extra virgin olive oil and splash of sherry vinegar if desired. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and serve immediately.

ROASTED RED SNAPPER WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with foil. Oil the foil and fish with 1 tablespoon of oil. Place the fish atop the foil. Sprinkle the fish cavity with salt and pepper. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon inside the fish cavity. Fill the cavity with the onion, fennel and rosemary sprigs. Bake until the fish is just cooked through at the bone, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the remaining lemon 1/2 into a small bowl. Whisk in the fennel fronds, rosemary, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Season the lemon sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Using a sharp knife, separate the 2 fillets from the backbone. Using a metal spatula, transfer the top fillets to a plate. Lift the fish backbone from the bottom fillets (the backbone and head should come off together easily), and discard. Using the spatula, transfer the remaining fillets to plates. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Drizzle the lemon sauce over the fish and serve.

BAKED RED SNAPPER WITH GARLIC, LIME, AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place red snapper skin-side down in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with garlic, garlic salt, and red pepper. Spread cilantro evenly over the fish; squeeze lime evenly on top.
• Marinate in the refrigerator, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter and pour evenly over the fish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until flesh flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve with juices spooned over the fish, if desired.

SALT BAKED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center. Rinse fish thoroughly, inside and out, until no traces of blood remain. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Stuff cavity of fish with a few lemon slices, a few sprigs of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, and a bay leaf; set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir together salt and egg whites until thoroughly combined. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of salt, about the size of the fish, in a baking dish. Arrange the remaining lemon slices, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves over the salt; place fish on top of herbs.
• Pour the remaining salt over fish, completely covering the body; the tail can stick over edge of pan. Using your fingers, pat down salt, completely sealing the fish.
• Place pan in oven, and cook until fish is done, allowing 15 minutes per pound. (One way chefs check for doneness is to insert a carving fork or metal skewer through the salt crust and into the fish, then place the skewer to the chin under lower lip for 15 seconds; if the metal feels very warm the fish is done.) Remove pan from oven; let sit 5 minutes.
• Gently break away the crust. Transfer fish to a cutting board. Using a paring knife and your fingers, peel away skin. Separate, and serve.

ROASTED RED SNAPPER WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Make sauce:
• In a small skillet boil wine with garlic until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add remaining sauce ingredients and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat sauce to warm before proceeding.
• Pat snapper fillets dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide oil between 2 shallow baking pans large enough to hold fillets in one layer without touching and spread oil evenly. Heat baking pans in upper and lower thirds of oven 7 minutes. Working quickly, put fillets, skin sides down, in hot baking pans and roast in upper and lower thirds of oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through.
• Transfer fillets with a metal spatula to a large platter, turning them skin sides up, and top with sauce.