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

February 23, 2021

Dinner Recipes, Latest Recipes, Seafood Recipes

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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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (1)

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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (2)

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

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (3)

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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (4)

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!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (5)

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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (6)

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!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (7)

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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (8)

  • Dust with additional paprika, salt, and dry parsley.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (9)

  • 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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (10)

Serving Suggestions

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

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (11)

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!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (12)

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

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (13)

Almost 4 Pounds two of them!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (14)

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!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (15)

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!

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (16)

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.

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (17)

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

Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (18)

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

  1. Rinse and pat dry fish.
  2. Make three or more slits on both sides of the fish.
  3. Make a seasoning mix by combining: melted butter, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and squeezed lemon juice.
  4. Mix well and adjust to taste.
  5. Place fish on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking sheet.
  6. Brush fish with seasoning mix on both sides, inside the cavity, and inside the slits.
  7. Insert fresh minced garlic, sliced onion, and lemon slices inside the fish cavity.
  8. Insert lemon slices into the slits.
  9. Dust with additional paprika, salt, and dry parsley.
  10. Bake in the preheated to 400°F oven for about 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
  11. 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.)

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
  1. Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (23)

    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?

  2. Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (25)

    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.

    • Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (26)

      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.

  3. Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (27)

    Scott May 5, 2021 at 12:39 pm Reply

    Comment *Do you remove the scales?

    • Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (28)

      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.

  4. Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (29)

    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.

    • Easy to prepare Oven Baked Whole Yellowtail Snapper recipe. (30)

      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!

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

FAQs

How do you prepare yellowtail snapper? ›

Directions. Season the yellowtail fillets with salt and pepper, then dust 1 side only with flour, shaking off any excess. In a medium-sized saute pan, heat the olive oil until just nearly smoking and add the yellowtail, flour side down. Sear the fish until golden brown, then flip over and continue cooking 1 minute.

How long does it take to cook a whole fish in the oven? ›

Bake whole fish for 20-30 minutes/kg at 180°C and barbecue for 15-20 minutes/kg.

Do you scale snapper before baking? ›

The best way to prepare red snapper with scales for baking is to first clean and scale the fish. Then, make shallow cuts on both sides of the fish to help it cook evenly. Season the fish with your choice of herbs, spices, and a drizzle of olive oil before baking.

Can you eat the skin in yellow tail snapper? ›

Fish known for having delicious skin include bass, barramundi, flounder, mackerel, salmon, and snapper. On the other hand, less tasty skin is found on monkfish, skate, swordfish, and tuna. Further, chefs are getting creative with fish skin on restaurant menus.

Should fish be covered or uncovered when baking in the oven? ›

Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Do you flip fish when cooking in oven? ›

The answer to the equation is the ideal baking time for the fish you are cooking. For example, if you are making fish fillets that are ½ inch thick, the ideal baking time will be 5 minutes. Since fish can fall apart easily, you should only flip it once, halfway through baking.

Is fish better in pan or oven? ›

Baking fish is a great way to keep the important nutrients intact without upping the fat content to unhealthy levels. The key to baking fish in a healthy way is to use minimal oil and if you do add oil to the cooking process, make sure it is a heart-healthy one such as olive oil.

How do you cook and eat whole snapper? ›

Drizzle olive oil generously on both sides of the fish and then season with salt. You can bake the fish immediately, or let it marinate for up to 20 minutes. Place the fish on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the flesh is cooked and the skin is rather crispy.

Can you overcook snapper? ›

It should flake easily and look white all the way through. Don't overcook, though, as your fish will get rubbery.

What not to do when cooking fish? ›

Over-cooking fish might result in dry, tough meat that is unsuitable for consumption. To avoid this, do not cook it for too long or at a high temperature. Instead, cook on low heat until the meat flakes easily with a fork.

How to prepare fish for beginners? ›

I would always suggest frying the fish skin-side down and, if it's a thick cut of fish, cook it all the way on one side. Texturally, this will give you an amazing crust to break through on one side while the other side of the piece should just be cooked. The best way to check it is by using a probe or a metal skewer.

How do you eat yellowtail snapper? ›

Pan-fried Yellowtail Snapper is delicious! I've breaded it with almond flour and some seasonings and then pan-fried it in olive oil and butter. Yellowtail is abundant in South Florida. They are relatively small and have sweet, flaky meat and a mild taste, making them perfect for a quick pan fry.

Is yellowtail snapper a good fish? ›

Some consider yellowtail snapper the best eating snapper because of the light, flaky meat. When buying whole yellowtail snapper look for shiny skin with scales in tact, a deep red or pink gill color, and shiny belly.

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