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    You are here: Home / Dinner / Roasted Whole Vermilion Snapper

    Roasted Whole Vermilion Snapper

    Posted by David (Doggy Daddy) · Leave a Comment

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    vermilion snapper dinner angle view
    Whole roasted Vermilion snapper - yum!

    We love one-plate dishes and often cook with the intent to share instead of plating separately. This weekend, we knew we wanted to cook a whole fish, but didn't know what the hell else was gonna happen.

    Though she's also a one-plate fan, Leela doesn't believe in sharing.

    We actually wanted branzino, but there were none to be had. Quay figured it out, though. And in no time, we had a beautiful whole Vermilion snapper on hand (on sale for $8/pound!) along with fresh herbs, potatoes, capers, asparagus, and a few other things that we'll get to later.

    This is a one-plate dish you don't want to miss. It's shareable and incomparable. So be dapper and get yerself some snapper!

    vermilion snapper on cutting board
    Vermilion snapper

    Vermilion snappers are smaller than reds, and they have huge eyes. Note the slender shape. This one is just over a pound and is perfect for two people along with sides. If you're feeling famished, definitely cook two.

    cutting up thyme
    Quay's got the time to chop some thyme

    To start out, Quay cut a bunch of thyme sprigs that will be used with potatoes. Look at the handy-work!

    small potatoes with thyme
    Halved potatoes with olive oil and thyme

    See? I told you some would be used with potatoes. These guys are halved then tossed with EVOO and thyme. The variety of colors go great with this dish.

    halved tomatoes in olive oil
    Tomatoes, halved and marinated

    Next up are the tomatoes. Again, cut in half and tossed with EVOO and S&P.

    vegetables mixed together in marinade
    Asparagus, onion, olives, bell peppers

    Finally, we have a mix of asparagus, yellow onion, Kalamata olives, and bell peppers. These are roughly chopped and tossed in - you guessed it - EVOO.

    garlic parsley capers
    Gremolata

    Here's the herb topping - a mix of garlic, capers, parsley, red pepper flakes, and a small amount of EVOO. Very tasty! It's similar to, but not a traditional gremolata because we used oil and didn't use lemon zest. Call us "non-purists" for the moment... then chill the @$#% out.

    vegetable mix in roasting pan
    Roasting the vegetables

    The veggies are all mixed together then put into a pan lined with parchment paper. The mix bakes for 20 minutes until the fish is ready to go in.

    vermilion snapper seasoned with cuts
    Vermilion snapper, sliced and seasoned

    Now we get to pay attention to the fish. If you don't scale fish at home, make sure to ask them to do it at the store. Prep work is really easy and just involves making three slices on each side and seasoning inside and out with salt and pepper. With the slices, go as deep as you can without hitting the bone - mine were probably ¼" - ⅜" deep. Don't overthink it.

    vermilion snapper in iron skillet
    Frying fish in iron skillet

    Here we go with the 12" iron skillet again. It's not required but works great. Basically, you want to use the widest-bottomed pan that you have available. Toss that thing on medium-high heat, add a bit of grapeseed oil, and you're ready to go. Add the fish after the oil shimmers.

    filling fish cavity with lemon and lime
    Adding citrus to the cavity

    Y'all know that citrus goes with fishes, and we're not gonna stray from that. Quickly into the cook, lemon and lime wedges are pushed into the cavity.

    Citrus goes with fishes.

    frying snapper with citrus and butter
    Butter, lemon, and Gremolata added to fish

    Next, we add lemon slices and, after about 5 minutes, a couple tablespoons of butter. Pull it off the heat. When the butter melts, baste the fish, spooning it over the whole thing. Then top it with the herb mix. The fish goes into a 400° oven to finish - 15 minutes.

    snapper placed on bed of arugula
    Cooked snapper placed on arugula salad

    While the fish finishes roasting, make a quick salad dressing of rice vinegar, EVOO, salt, and pepper. Whisk it together then add arugula and toss it. Place it on a platter and put the fish on top. That fish has never been more comfortable.

    It reminds me of when Leela takes my place in bed and lays on my pillow. Except for the dead eyes.

    snapper topped with mixture on bed of arugula
    Almost ready!
    vermilion snapper finished dish on platter
    Final plating, topped with chives and Maldon

    Next step is placing the roasted veggies all around the fish. Finally, sprinkle finely chopped chives and Maldon over everything. Boom! Done.

    vermilion snapper dinner close angle
    Time to dig in

    🐶 Leela Storm's Suggested Pairings

    • 🎵 The Fish Head Song
    • 🍷 Sauvignon Blanc
    • 🍺 Austin Beerworks Bloodwork Orange IPA

    🍽 Hotel Critique

    I'm not a huge fan of olives, but Quay made the right decision by adding them to the veg mix. The brine cooks out and brings a really vibrant, Mediterranean flavor to the dish which is very welcomed.

    The capers lose a bit of their punch, in a good way, and everything is balanced. The garlic and parsley bring a bright kick to each fork-full of fish, which is slightly sweet and meaty. We got more off of this thing than I expected, too.

    It's fun to share a plate! If we do it again, I'll add more potatoes. The veg mix in general is so flavorful it's great on its own.

    snapper carcass
    Snapper carcass - perfect for your next stock!

    ✔ Takeaways

    • Don't be afraid to cook a whole fish.
    • Olives and capers for the win.
    • Flavor options are endless: Italian, Mediterranean, Asian - so take your pick and move on.
    • Use that fish carcass for stock!
    Print

    Roasted Whole Vermilion Snapper

    vermilion snapper dinner close angle
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Roasted whole Vermilion snapper with veggies on a bed of arugula. A great two-person dinner that is flavor-forward with herbs and olives.

    • Author: David (Doggy Daddy)
    • Prep Time: 15
    • Cook Time: 40
    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: 2 1x
    • Category: dinner
    • Method: roasting
    • Cuisine: Mediterranean
    • Diet: Vegetarian

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Grapeseed oil
    • A small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
    • 2 lemons
    • 2 limes
    • 4 cups arugula
    • 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

    Protein

    • 1+ pound Vermilion snapper

    Vegetable Mix

    • ½ pound small potatoes
    • ½ pound small sweet tomatoes
    • ½ cup yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 ½ cup asparagus, chopped
    • 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
    • ¼ cup Kalamata olives, chopped

    Herb Topping

    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    • ½ cup parsley
    • 2 tbsp capers, chopped
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
    • 2 tbsp EVOO

     

    Instructions

    Veggies

    1. Set oven to 400°.
    2. Roughly chop the thyme.
    3. Prep the veggies, cutting the potatoes, olives, and tomatoes in halve and roughly chopping the bell peppers. Coat all separately with EVOO, adding thyme to the potatoes, and season then set aside.
    4. Prepare the herb mixture by chopping capers, garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Add a small amount of EVOO and mix together.
    5. Combine all veggies together and place in a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes in the oven.
    6. Finely chop 1 tablespoon of chives and set aside.

    Fish

    1. While the vegetables are roasting, pat the fish dry.
    2. Make three slices on each side about ¼" deep (don't hit the bone).
    3. Season with sea salt and black pepper inside and out.
    4. Prepare a skillet on medium-high heat so it will be ready 15 minutes into the veggie roast.
    5. Add 1.5 tablespoon grapeseed oil and when it shimmers, place the fish in the skillet.
    6. Add lemon and lime slices to the fish's cavity.
    7. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter and pull it off the heat.
    8. When the butter melts, baste the fish, spooning it over the whole thing. Then top it with the herb mixture.
    9. Place fish skillet into the oven to finish - about 15 minutes.

    Salad

    1. While the fish is roasting, prepare your dressing.
    2. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon EVOO, sea salt, and cracked black pepper into a bowl and whisk to combine.
    3. Add arugula to the bowl and toss to combine.

    Plating

    1. Spread out the arugula on a wide platter.
    2. Place the fish on top of the arugula bed.
    3. Spoon the veggies around the fish.
    4. Squeeze some lemon over everything.
    5. Crush a pinch of Maldon over everything.
    6. Top it all off with the chives.

    Notes

    Double the fish if you're really hungry, or double the whole recipe if you have more people to serve.

    Keywords: vermilion snapper, vegetables, arugula

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please tag us at @thehotelleela on Instagram and hashtag it #thehotelleela!

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