Oven Baked Whole Snapper

 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 a variety 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.

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 Bake Whole 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.