# Baked Red Snapper



## CharlieD (Jun 13, 2011)

I was in the asian store the other day and they had the whole red snapper for sale, quite large I should add. 
I searched the forum here and did not find any Baked recipes for the whole snapper. Wondering if somebody has a good TNT recipe. But Only Baked. I do not want to cut it, I do not want to filet it. I do not have grill for it. Thank you in advanced.


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## CharlieD (Jun 13, 2011)

Nobody?


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## Zhizara (Jun 13, 2011)

When I brought home a triggerfish from a fishing trip, my mom baked it, probably at 350°, whole, skin on (but gutted of course).  The reason is that the skin on a triggerfish is more like armor.  It was wonderful, moist and tender.  I don't think she used any seasonings at all.  We ate it with butter and dill.  After cooking, the skin peeled off easily.  HTH.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 13, 2011)

Charlie..Nothing TNT but I remember the family cook baking snapper...Rubbed on a little oil...S&P....Made a seafood dressing (stuffing) She being from South Louisiana it was a corn bread and left over biscuit mix...Lotsa onion, pepper, celery, garlic (chicken stock?) The dressing always over flowed the cavity of the fish..so everyone could have plenty. Hope this gives you some ideas.....


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## pacanis (Jun 13, 2011)

charlied said:


> nobody?


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## CharlieD (Jun 13, 2011)

pacanis said:


> View attachment 11165


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## Dawgluver (Jun 13, 2011)

In Mexico, whole snapper is frequently battered, deep fried, and delicious.

My mom years ago baked a whole walleye.  As I recall, she stuffed it with lemon slices, herbs and stuffing mix.  My dad was highly skeptical, but it turned out pretty good.


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## buckytom (Jun 13, 2011)

lol, pacanis. how long have you been waiting to use that with charlie??? that was perfect.

charlie, i make a tnt whole baked trout that i've substituted red snapper and it was good. the only thing is that it is stuffed with thinly sliced fennel and onion, herbs, and balsamic vinegar, and red snapper doesn't have much of a body cavity for stuffing. you can still make it by loosely stuffing the snapper, then just placing the rest of the veggies between two whole fish in the baking dish. 

i have a sudden death game of badminton to play right now, but i'll be back later to post the recipe and pics.


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## ChefJune (Jun 13, 2011)

Sorry, Charlie, just seeing this now.  I love baking a whole fish. Sometimes I'll just sprinkle salt and pepper, put a couple of scallions and a sprig of tarragon inside along with several sliced of lemon and bake it just like that. Those flavors cook right into the flesh of the fish.

Or, you could go a bit fancier. This was a popular dish when I was catering.

*Baked Fish, Greek Style*
This attractive dish has a long list of ingredients.  Don’t let that put you off.  Once you¹ve got the veggies chopped (you can do that way ahead!) it’s smooth sailing.
6 - 8 servings
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped carrot
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, cut up
¾ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 4- to 5-pound whole fish, dressed, head & tail left on
sprigs of fresh dill or rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
vegetable oil
finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish
 
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a saucepan, cook onion, celery, green pepper, carrot and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil for 5 minutes.  Add undrained tomatoes, wine, dill, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
2.         Meanwhile, drizzle inside of fish with lemon juice.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put a sprig of fresh dill or rosemary inside the fish cavity.

3.         Place fish in a baking pan just large enough to hold the fish comfortably.  Brush the fish well with oil.  Pour sauce over fish.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and test for doneness.  Fish should flake (but NOT easily) when tested with a fork.  Serve sauce over fish. Sprinkle fresh parsley over all.
 
*Teacher’sTip:* Red snapper is the ideal fish for this dish, but if you are unable to find it, salmon, sea bass or rainbow trout can be used successfully.  It IS important that your fish be the right size to feed 6 people. (You need a fish that will fit on one platter.)  If you can’t find a whole fish the right size, or if the head and bones put you off, try this recipe using a large fillet of salmon or halibut (2 to 3 pound piece).  You won’t have the drama of the whole fish in your presentation, but it will taste just as good!


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## pacanis (Jun 13, 2011)

lol, it just fit, BT. Especially since I've never baked a whole fish.


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## spork (Jun 13, 2011)

I don't have a recipe, Charlie, but one of my TNT's for whole fish can be googled "chinese steamed fish."  It's rarely seen in a menu, but most Chinese restaurants will cook it to order.  Steamers big enough to hold a whole fish aren't common, so it's often cooked in the oven as a low temp poach covered with foil.  I just wing it, but the basic liquid is rice wine or a dry white sherry, light soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of sugar-salt-pepper, and fish stock or water to a drinkable concentration.  Its signature is lots of long, maybe 3-inch, fine julienne of ginger and scallion.  At a restaurant, it's usually finished with cilantro and a pour of sizzling garlic oil.  Snapper is the most common, but it's also great with white flesh fish, including trout or striped bass.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jun 14, 2011)

ChefJune said:


> Sorry, Charlie, just seeing this now.  I love baking a whole fish. Sometimes I'll just sprinkle salt and pepper, put a couple of scallions and a sprig of tarragon inside along with several sliced of lemon and bake it just like that. Those flavors cook right into the flesh of the fish.
> 
> Or, you could go a bit fancier. This was a popular dish when I was catering.
> 
> ...




Oh Yum!  Thanks, ChefJune!  Copied and pasted.


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## CWS4322 (Jun 14, 2011)

I have one of those fish steamer pans--so does my mom. We never did red snapper, but that was the only way we cooked northern pike (whole) was in the steamer with the traditional seasonings for fish. If it fits in that pan, and you own one, you could try steaming it. If it doesn't fit in that pan, you could make a "steamer" using foil.


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## CharlieD (Jun 14, 2011)

Thank you everybody. Now I have to go back and pick one up. Can't wait. June, awesome recipe. The only question I have, there is "traditonal seasoning for fish" mention twice in this post. What is traditional seasoning for fish?


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## CWS4322 (Jun 14, 2011)

If your ancestors were Vikings, DILL. You can add capers, onion, lime/lemon juice, white wine, but do not forget the DILL.


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## ChefJune (Jun 14, 2011)

Dill, tarragon, chervil are the "traditional" fish herbs, but I also like rosemary, marjoram, lemon verbena.  Use what you like, or what you've got!


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## CharlieD (Jun 14, 2011)

Thank you. Can't wait. I was afraid to buy one without reserching the recipe, now I can go back and pick a fresh one. Mmmmm


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## spork (Jun 14, 2011)

Save the cheeks & collars for me, CharlieD!


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