Mexican Red Snapper Recipes

VERACRUZ-STYLE RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Cook and stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add capers and caper juice; stir to combine.
• Stir in tomatoes, olives, jalapeno pepper, . Cook and stir until jalapeno pepper softens and tomatoes begin to collapse, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in oregano.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into a small baking dish. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the tomato-olive mixture. Top with 1 snapper fillet, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Top with more filling and juice from 1 lime. Repeat with remaining snapper fillet, seasoning, and lime juice in a second baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until fish is flaky and no longer translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.

WHOLE SNAPPER WITH GRILLED VERA CRUZ SALSA

Steps:

• For the salsa: Preheat a charcoal grill for medium-high heat.
• Brush the bell peppers, tomatoes and chiles with oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the bell peppers until charred on all sides and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and seeds and dice.
• Grill the tomatoes until charred on all sides and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board, let rest for 10 minutes and coarsely chop.
• Grill the chiles until charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes, and finely chop.
• Combine the bell peppers, tomatoes, chiles, olives, cilantro, capers, thyme, oregano, vinegar and oil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the snapper: Combine the achiote, coriander and oregano in a small saute pan and toast over low heat until just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly and grind in a coffee grinder. Combine the ground spices with the paprika, salt and pepper in a large baking dish. Add the lime juice, garlic and oil, and whisk until the consistency a smooth paste. Sprinkle the fish all over with salt and pepper. Rub one side of each fish generously with some of the paste. Cover and marinate for 20 minutes.
• Preheat a charcoal grill for direct medium-high heat and indirect grilling.
• Grill the fish, paste-side down, over the direct heat, until the paste is nicely charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully flip the fish over using a large, heavy duty spatula and move the fish to the opposite side of the coals. Cover the grill and continue cooking until just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the fish to a large platter. Spoon the salsa on top and garnish with the fresh herbs.

FRIED WHOLE RED SNAPPER WITH SPICY CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the fish sauce, water, chile garlic sauce, the lime juice, and sugar together in a small pan and bring to a boil.
• Fill a large heavy saute pan with 1-inch of oil and heat for 5 minutes until hot, but not smoking.
• Make 2 diagonal cuts on each side of the fish for ease of cooking. Salt, pepper, and flour both sides of the fish. Fish should be dry, as to not splatter oil when frying. Lower fish into oil, the oil should bubble vigorously. Cook 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Check cuts on fish for doneness.
• When fish is almost cooked, heat up sauce and stir in cornstarch mixture while sauce is boiling. Sauce should be slightly thick, but not lumpy. Remove fish from oil and slightly dry with paper towels. Add scallions to the sauce and pour over fish to cover. Serve with steamed rice.

MEXICAN RED SNAPPER VERACRUZ

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil is hot add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir occasionally. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add chiles, olives, orange juice, capers, and chicken and tomato bouillon, cook for 8 minutes or until thickened.
• In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, combine wine, chicken bouillon, seasoning sauce, and white pepper. Place fish in marinade and turn to coat all sides well. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
• Place fish in skillet with tomato mixture and spoon sauce over fish. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve immediately on bed of rice.

PAN-FRIED BLACKENED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Mix paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
• Combine olive oil and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl; heat in microwave until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Stir to blend butter into the oil.
• Brush some of the olive oil and butter mixture over both sides of each red snapper fillet. Sprinkle paprika mixture over both sides of each fillet.
• Heat leftover oil and butter mixture in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry red snapper until flesh flakes easily with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

FIESTA RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes. Add green chilies, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with juices, breaking up tomatoes with back of fork. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; place fish atop sauce. Bring to simmer. Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until fish is just opaque in center, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer fish to platter. Simmer sauce to thicken slightly, if desired. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro. Surround with lime wedges and serve.

SNAPPER VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add green pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until pepper is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Mix in the white pepper, cinnamon, lime juice, olives, and chiles; cook for 2 more minutes, to blend the flavors.
• Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• 2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the snapper filets into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the filets, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
• Stir in the capers just before serving.

MEXICAN RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In a medium bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. In another medium bowl combine the onion, chiles, and tomatoes. Add half the vinaigrette, reserving the other half. Toss the vegetables to coat evenly. With a sharp knife, extend the cut in the belly of the fish from the head to the tail. Open the fish and make a second cut inside the cavity running along one side of the backbone and cutting the rib bones, without slicing through the skin on the other side. Fill the cavity of the fish with the dressed vegetables. Wind a piece of cotton string around the fish three or four times to close the cavity and tie it. Brush both sides of the fish with the reserved vinaigrette. Grill over Indirect Medium heat until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 20 to 30 minutes. Brush the fish occasionally with the reserved vinaigrette during the last 5 minutes of grilling time. Carefully transfer the fish on a long spatula from the grill to a work surface. Cut off the head and tail with a sharp knife. Remove the string. Carefully make a cut lengthwise through the skin along the length of the backbone and slide the fillets off the bones. Add some vegetables to each serving. Serve warm.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.