Do you scale snapper before baking?

Fish must be gutted, scaled and cleaned before cooking whole .

What temp should snapper be cooked to?

Red snapper is done when its internal temperature reaches 137°F . It's actually safe to enjoy with an internal temperature of anything 125°F or higher, though, so if you prefer your fish a little bit less done, that's totally fine too.

Do you soak red snapper before cooking?

But when you get home, be sure to soak the fish in a saltwater solution (2 cups water + 2 Tb. salt) for about 10-15 minutes before cooking — this ensures better flavor and moisture of the cooked fish.

Can you cook whole fish without scaling?

Certainly, if you don't want to scale a fish, you can always look for a fish that doesn't have scales such as mackerel, swordfish, catfish, pomfret, cabezon or eel . Instead of scaling fish that have scales you can always remove it's skin, scales and all before you cook it.

How do you cook and eat whole snapper?

To keep fish stable, splay belly flaps and set a crumpled foil ball under tail. Roast fish for 30 minutes, until flesh just flakes. Transfer fish to a platter. Using 2 forks, lift fillets off bones and serve .

What are the cooking methods of snapper?

Whole fish can be broiled, grilled, pan-fried, steamed, baked or deep-fried . Fillets are good pan-fried or steamed.

Do you put lemon juice on fish before or after baking?

Top fillets with thin slices of lemon before tossing in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes , or until fish is nice and tender and flakes easily with a fork.

What happens if you don't rinse fish before cooking?

Remove the scales from fish if a recipe calls for it, but leave your fish unrinsed to prevent your kitchen from becoming a breeding ground for germs .

Why is my cooked snapper rubbery?

Overcooked fish loses its natural moisture, which can result in a dry and chewy texture . The proteins in the fish also begin to tighten, which can make the fish tough and rubbery. In addition, overcooked fish can have a severe lack of flavor, as the heat causes the natural oils in the fish to evaporate.

Should you scale fish before cooking?

Removing guts, gills, blood, and scales prevents distasteful flavors and lessens the chance of spoilage . Below, we'll break down how to prepare fish ahead of the actual cooking process. Bear in mind there are differences in the cleaning methodology depending on the type and size of whole fish you're dealing with.

Can you bake fish with the scales on?

Chef José Andrés bakes whole fish in a salt crust until it's perfectly moist and seasoned. His trick is to leave the scales on the fish , which makes the skin very easy to peel off after baking.

Do you have to scale snapper before filleting?

For smaller Grouper and Snapper my preference is to scale and clean the fish and cook it whole, skin on ; for larger groupers and snappers my preference is to fillet the fish and then remove the skin (with the scales attached.)

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (2024)

February 23, 2021

Dinner Recipes, Latest Recipes, Seafood Recipes

Jump to Recipe

It takes almost no time to prepare this tasty Oven Baked Whole Snapper for your family. Juicy and flaky on the inside, and deliciously crispy and seasoned on the outside. The Perfect combination!

It may seem intimidating cooking a whole fish, but it’s actually easier than you think.

The American Heart Association recommends eating avariety of fish at least twice a week. This Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe is an excellent choice for a healthy diet.

Snapper can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic water, and the Caribbean. Yellowtail and Red Snapper are the most commonly known. It’s a mild-tasting white fish.

But if Red Snappers are quite rare in your location try other white fish: Grouper, Sea Bass, Tilapia, Cod, Catfish, Haddock, Halibut, Trout… just to name a few.

Always start with the freshest fish you can buy and prepare the same day you buy it.

I normally buy our fish at Publix, they always sell the freshest fish.

What I love about Publix is that they even include the recipe for your convenience.

Nice, right?

This time we bought 4 Yellowtail Snappers for just $7.99/pound. I’ve decided to prep it up differently as you can see instead of laying them flat as you would with fillets.

It looked so much better in real life, but since my crew was hungry I had to hurry up with my pictures, lol

Hubby said no wonder we rarely go out if I can eat like this at home!

Yellowtail Snapper served with:

Baked potatoes: drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, paprika, Italian spices, and dry parsley.

Rapini or broccoli rabe is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.

Heat oil and melt butter in a large skillet set to medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rapini and toss them in the pan to heat. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and serve.

The secret to raised Snappers is making several slits on both sides and plump it up on top of half sliced lemon, sliced side down. Easy and looks SPECTACULAR!

I love Whole Baked fish, but I would never order it at the restaurant, it’s kinda messy eating with all these bones. At home – it’s a lot of Fun to dig in and scoop every morsel of this delicious fish.

How to BakeWhole Yellowtail Snapper

Ask your fishmonger to clean, gut and scale the fish for you or do it yourself.

Since Snapper is a very mild-tasting fish it’s up to you to add just a little seasoning or a lot of seasoning.

Make sure to rinse and pat dry fish well first.
Make 3 slits or more on both sides of the fish.
Make a seasoning mix by combining: melted butter, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and squeezed lemon juice.
Mix well and adjust to taste.
Place fish on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking sheet.
Brush fish with seasoning mix on both sides, inside the cavity, and inside the slits.
Insert fresh minced garlic or sliced onion and lemon slices inside the fish cavity.
Insert lemon slices into the slits.

Dust with additional paprika, salt, and dry parsley.

Bake in the preheated to 400°F oven for about 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Drizzle with lemon juice and dripping from the seasoning.
Garnish with fresh herbs (parsley or your favorite herbs) and serve.

Serving Suggestions

I just simply served this Amazing tasting Red Snapper with Fresh house salad.

House salad:

A simpleFresh side saladwith spring mix, bomb cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radish, green onion, and feta cheese.

Dressing: extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, and white wine vinegar.

You can roast potatoes and veggies with the snapper and serve them together.

Rice, couscous, different grains will go nicely with this fish as well.

I actually prefer to eat this fish cold the next day, but it’s delicious hot or cold, your preference here.

We can’t get enough of this SUPER TASTY and so EASY TO PREPARE – BAKED WHOLE SNAPPER!

Bought two more, a much larger size this time RED SNAPPERS!

Hubby said we should take ALL OF THEM, he loves this fish! But they looked smaller inside the ice, they were HUGE actually!

And this time I got the PERFECT TOOL for the job – Rhinoreto Fish fillet knife!

Proper tools for the job are A MUST! I could barely slice my previous fish with a regular knife. This one, slices fish LIKE BUTTER!

All prepped and ready to Bake! I’ve added thinly sliced potatoes this time since they come out perfectly baked with fish.

Baked potatoes: drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, paprika, Italian spices, and dry parsley. Easy!

IMPORTANT:
I have baked these Snappers longer, 45 minutes at 400F since they were twice the size. Bake until fish reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will vary according to the type/size of your fish.)

PERFECTLY BAKED SNAPPER and Potatoes! You will want to scoop and pour all of these delicious drippings from the fish.

Beautiful and Delicious White flesh inside Snapper stuffed with lemon slices and garlic!

Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

It takes almost no time to prepare this tastyOven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapperfor your family. Juicy and flaky on the inside, and deliciously crispy and seasoned on the outside. The perfect combination!

Ingredients

2 large whole snapper fish or similar mild-tasting white fish (ask your fishmonger to clean, gut and scale the fish for you or do it yourself)
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp. paprika
3 Tbsp. squeezed lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
lemon slices
dry parsley
fresh parsley or your favorite herb

Instructions

Rinse and pat dry fish.
Make three or more slits on both sides of the fish.
Make a seasoning mix by combining: melted butter, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and squeezed lemon juice.
Mix well and adjust to taste.
Place fish on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking sheet.
Brush fish with seasoning mix on both sides, inside the cavity, and inside the slits.
Insert fresh minced garlic, sliced onion, and lemon slices inside the fish cavity.
Insert lemon slices into the slits.
Dust with additional paprika, salt, and dry parsley.
Bake in the preheated to 400°F oven for about 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Drizzle with lemon juice and dripping from the seasoning. Garnish with fresh herbs (parsley) and serve.

Notes

Bake until fish reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will vary according to the type/size of your fish.)

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog and star rating. Tag me on Instagram or Facebook @craftycookingbyanna or share in on Pinterest! Thank you for your support!

baked fish, fish, snapper

June 4, 2023

8 Responses to Oven Baked Whole Snapper

Raluca July 3, 2023 at 9:49 pm Reply
I’m always afraid to use lemon slices when baking fish. Doesn’t the bitter taste go into the delicate tasting flesh and ruins the dish?
- Crafty Cooking by Anna July 13, 2023 at 10:11 pm Reply
  Raluca, lemon improves the taste and adds freshness to this dish.
Sheryl May 30, 2023 at 12:16 pm Reply
We followed the recipe but used lemon and onion inside, not garlic. The marinade seemed nice, but it was a waste of time, as the fish did not get any of the seasoning to come thru the skin, It tasted nice, but was jjust unseasoned fish. Another recipe suggested letting it marinade 30 minutes. I’ll try that next time, and the garlic.
- Crafty Cooking by Anna June 4, 2023 at 3:54 am Reply
  I’m glad that you still enjoyed the fish, Sheryl! You have full control over the seasoning here. You need to brush the insides with melted butter, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and squeezed lemon juice to taste as instructed, and add garlic, onion slices and lemon.
Scott May 5, 2021 at 12:39 pm Reply
Comment *Do you remove the scales?
- Crafty Cooking by Anna May 7, 2021 at 5:59 pm Reply
  Scott, ask your fishmonger to clean and scale the fish for you or scale yourself.
Dave April 2, 2021 at 9:15 pm Reply
Comment *Publix is way too expensive and not really fresh. Get them from a busy fish market, save some money and don’t feed the politically motivated store that is slowing the corona vaccine.
- Crafty Cooking by Anna April 6, 2021 at 8:33 pm Reply
  Dave, we love Publix – always Fresh and Customer Service is second to none! My whole family had vaccines done at Publix and it was an excellent, calm, and efficient service! It’s just more convenient for us to shop locally, even if it’s few dollars more. But the fish market is definitely a good place to get fish!

[top]