Broiled Red Snapper with Heirloom Potatoes

There’s such a satisfaction to getting a moist and tender plate of fish – wild caught and fresh out of the oven! Red Snapper is a meaty and sweet fish. The benefits of prepping the fish whole are two-fold. Firstly, it is fresher. Most fresh filets in the supermarket tend to be from whole fish that grocers take off the racks when they can’t sell them whole. Additionally,  you can check the freshness of the whole fish, through the clearness in the eyes of the fish. Secondly, it is relatively cheaper to buy whole. Spend a little more and buy it ‘dressed,  ie scales and guts cleaned out.

Ingredients:

1 tsp cajun seafood seasoning
1/2 tsp red chilli pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt ( adjusted because some of the other seasonings contain salt as well)
1 tsp lemon pepper powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup oil
1/2 lemon cut into slices
1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Directions:

1. Prep the fish by taking kitchen shears and snipping off the side and top fins. Clean out any remaining gills near the mouth cavity. If you have issues with having your food staring back at you, then you can cut the head off and use it for fish stock!

2. Mix all the ingredients except the fresh lemon in the oil.
3. Make a few deep slashes in the meatier parts of the fish.

4. Take the oil mix and massage it in to the fish making sure to get it in the suits and belly cavity .

5. Let the Red Snapper marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge. No lemon has been added so it will not start cooking while marinating. We are not making ceviche after all!

6. Preheat broiler ( note: broiler not bake) to 380F high heat, and place it in the second rung away from the broiler.

7. Broil it for 10 minutes each side. Halfway on each side, baste it with the remaining marinade for a crispy skin. ( Tip: use two spatulas to flip the fish so as not to break it.)

8. Serve the Red Snapper with some heirloom potatoes cut in half,  drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary and baked at 350F for 30 mins.

If you like seafood, try out these other recipes as well! Fried Fish with Asparagus.