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    Home » Recipes

    Baked Whole Red Snapper

    Published: Jun 22, 2021 · Modified: Jun 22, 2021 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    • 3
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you love seafood, this Baked Whole Red Snapper dish is just right for you. It’s so simple to make with very little active cooking time. For me, it’s not only a lovely meal but it brings back memories of summer time by the beach in the Mediterranean.

    A rectangular platter showing 2 baked whole red snappers, over lettuce and garnished with fresh lemon slices.
    Baked Whole Red Snapper

    The Art of Baking Whole Fish

    Even though cooking a whole fish may seem intimidating to many, it’s really easy and fish will taste so much better than fillet. You can make the fish crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You never have to worry about dry fish again. Also, the taste is wonderful and you don’t have to disguise it with sauces.

    Simple is better!! Salt, olive oil and lemon are the basics. You don’t need a lot to cook whole fish. Than you can add more flavor with garlic and herbs.

    • Buy fresh fish when possible
    • Make sure fish is clean from insides and scales.
    • Season outside and inside with salt, olive oil and lemon plus any extras you like.
    • Bake at 425 degrees F until fish is flaky (it depends on size of fish). The skin start getting golden brown. You can broil for a minute or two just to make the skin crispy.
    • Add more fresh lemon before serving and serve with a big fresh salad.

    Seasoning Red Snapper

    This dish doesn’t have a lot of seasonings, it’s rather a simple dish. However, the few ingredients used make such a big difference and bring forth the delicious taste of red snapper.

    Baking dish just out of the oven with Red Snappers in it fully cooked.
    Dish with Red Snappers Just Baked

    Tips & Notes

    If you’ve never baked whole fish before or cooked red snapper, here are some extra tips besides the recipe instructions below.

    Red snappers ready to bake in the baking dish. There are slits cut through the snapper where lemon slices are fit in. There's also lots of fresh dill over the fish.
    Red Snappers Ready To Bake
    • Try to buy the fish already clean, it’ll save you time. Also, if you have no experience with the process it can be quite difficult at first. Back home we used to clean the fish ourselves, but here in US it seems standard that most places sell the fish already clean from the insides and scales which is perfect for cooking whole fish.
    • Buy the fish on the way home and start cooking it shortly after you get home. If you bought frozen fish, thaw the fish overnight in the refrigerator. Place on a bowl or large platter so it doesn’t leak to your other food items in the refrigerator.
    • Red Snapper comes in different sizes. In the Mediterranean and in some other countries where fish is served whole, it’s often customary to order the fish size in the restaurant or beach family style. Usually the size of the fish depends on the the size of the group you’re with. It’s always a treat to see a big fish delivered to the table and the restaurant will cut it and serve it right there. For my family I usually buy one individual fish per person of about 1.5 lbs each. For a family of 4 I buy about 3 fish and usually the kids share one.
    • Salt – I love using Mediterranean coarse sea salt for this fish. It really makes all the difference in flavor to me.
    2 whole baked fish, Red Snapper on a platter with greens and lemons.

    Baked Whole Red Snapper

    Baked Whole Red Snappers make for a great Mediterranean style family dinner. Serve with a big, fresh salad and dig in!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 847 kcal

    Equipment

    • Standard Oven
    • Baking dish

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 red snappers about 1-1.5 lbs each
    • 5 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
    • 1 tbsp Mediterranean sea salt
    • 2 lemons get more for garnish if needed
    • 2 tbsps fresh dill
    • 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Make sure snappers are clean from the insides and scales have been removed. Pat dry with paper towel. Season with olive oil inside and outside. Add sea salt and pepper as well generously inside and outside of each fish.
    • Sprinkle olive oil on the baking dish and make sure the surface is well oiled so it's not sticky. Add the fish and arrange so all 3 fit. Cut slits or score each fish 2-3 cuts on the upper side. Add lemon slices on the cuts. Sprinkle lemon juice generously over, inside etc.
    • Bake for about 25 minutes or until fish is flaky. This depends a little on how thick the fish is. Usually the skin becomes golden with brown edges when it's ready. Broil for a minute or two if you like crispy skin. Don't broil for too long so fish doesn't dry up.
    • Serve on a platter with greens of your choice and a big salad. Sprinkle more lemon juice over the fish on the platter. Add plenty of lemons slices everywhere so your guests can add more lemon as they serve the fish. Enjoy fresh:)).
    • Word of warning – fish can have little bones, try to avoid those and help kids break their fish in small pieces to avoid eating the small bones.

    Notes

    • Work around the big skeleton when you eat the fish and watch out for the little bones. The bigger the fish, the easier to spot and remove the small bones

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Baked Whole Red Snapper
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 847 Calories from Fat 243
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 27g42%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Monounsaturated Fat 14g
    Cholesterol 250mg83%
    Sodium 2178mg95%
    Potassium 2898mg83%
    Carbohydrates 5g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 139g278%
    Vitamin A 746IU15%
    Vitamin C 40mg48%
    Calcium 234mg23%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 847kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 139gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 250mgSodium: 2178mgPotassium: 2898mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 746IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 234mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword baked red snapper, baked whole red snapper, roasted red snapper, whole red snapper
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you’d like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Feel free to ask questions in comments or show off your version of this recipe in social media and tag me:).

    An image prepared for Pinterest, it shows baked Red Snappers in a platter over lettuce. On top of the image there's a title bar and on the bottom the website link.
    Homemade Baked Red Snapper

    More Seafood Recipes

    Feel free to check out additional seafood recipes from my blog:

    • Whole Baked Branzino
    • Chilean Sea-Bass in Cast Iron Skillet
    • Shrimp Tomato Sauce Pasta
    • Salmon Onions Casserole
    • Smoked Salmon Crostini
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    Filed Under: Albanian, Main Dishes, Mediterranean Food, Recipes Tagged With: low carb, Mediterranean Diet, Seafood

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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