Never in my life did I think that at 12:50 on a Monday afternoon at school I would be dropping an entire fish into a deep fryer, but alas, I surprise myself sometimes. This week, the challenge in my second semester food literature class was to make a food that connected to a specific emotion, and I knew I wanted to do something positive. I was instantly reminded of some of my favorite foods that make me the happiest, all forms of fancy seafood, great gluten free finds, my favorite fruits, and more. Ever since having the whole fried red snapper at Barcelona Wine Bar, in Sono, CT, I knew I wanted to tackle making this dish. It’s super fun and rewarding, DELICIOUS, and of course, naturally gluten free!
The Process: Easier than you would Think!
By far the scariest part of making this dish, and by scary I mean intimidating, is frying the fish itself. Something about dropping something into a bubbling vat of oil is always going to be scary. BUT the end result is 100% worth it.
The first step of the recipe is to cut, season, and prep the snapper. Honestly, I think it’s a lot of fun! The one important thing is, you should 100% ask the fish monger or marketplace to gut and scale the fish for you. I have no idea how to gut a fish, nor do I feel the need to learn how, so getting it prepped works for me! To prepare the fish, score is on the sides, make the spice rub, generously coat the fish in the spice rub (make sure it gets into all the cracks from scoring) and then stuffing the fish with herbs.
After stuffing the snapper with the herbs and rubbing in the spices… it’s time to fry! To fry your red snapper, place it very gently, with tongs, into your deep fryer and let it fry in there, completely submerged, for around 5 minutes. While it is tempting to keep checking, it’s important to let it sit under the oil for a while! Otherwise it won’t get as crispy.
Now comes the easy part. After making the entire fish, it’s time to make the salad! Chop up your ingredients (I added shallots in this version, and they are optional to the recipe) and mix them together with the oil and vinegar.
After that, there is only one thing left to do! Plate your fish by placing the entire fried red snapper over the caprese salad, or honestly however you would like! Serve immediately, so the fish is still nice and warm and crispy on the outside! Enjoy!
No Deep Fryer? NO PROBLEM!
If you have a dutch oven, or even just a large pot, you can totally make a make-shift deep fryer for this recipe! All it entails is filling the pot with vegetable or canola oil, placing in a thermometer, and letting it go! If you are curious about using a deep fryer at home, here’s a tutorial!
MY NOTES on the Deep Fried Red Snapper Recipe
- To find a red snapper, you can look at Whole Foods, or any local fish market! I got this one from an asian marketplace about a half an hour away from my house. Just make sure you buy the fish the day of, or the day before at the latest, that you’re going to cook it. You want to make sure the fish is as fresh as it can be before you cook it.
- GET IT SCALED AND GUTTED! I almost learned this the hard way. No one needs to know how to scale a fish. If you do, amazing! However, there’s nothing wrong with asking the people working at the store or market to gut and scale the fish for you. Eating fish scales can end up being dangerous, so it is important that it’s done properly.
- Red snappers have bones! When you’re eating this fish, be careful that you aren’t swallowing any bones.
- You can adjust the spice mix and change out the herbs based off of person preference! I happen to LOVE oregano, but you can use whatever stands out to you.
- The same idea goes for the side salad! I made one of my favorite salads to go under the fried red snapper, but you can use whatever you’d like in terms of a side salad!
That’s all I have to say about this recipe! It’s a fun one! As always, happy cooking! 🙂
Deep Fried red Snapper with an Avocado Caprese Side Salad
Ingredients
- 1 whole red snapper (about 2 pounds, already gutted)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 springs oregano
For the salad:
- 1 large avocado
- 1 package heirloom cherry tomatoes (8 oz)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 8 oz mini mozzarella balls
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Trim the tips of the fins (the pointy parts) off of your fish and score the sides of it, about a half inch thick or so, in a crossed pattern.
- Mix together all of the spices for the fish and sprinkle them into the ridges of the skin and meat.Â
- Take the sprigs of herbs and stuff them inside the fish, so they are coming out through its mouth.Â
- With the deep fryer at a high temperature, gently place the fish in and hold it with tongs (do not let it drop in) for about four minutes, then, flip it over and ensure the other side is crispy as well.Â
- Remove the fish from the deep fryer and place it onto a cooling rack stacked on a baking sheet. Let sit while you make the salad.Â
- In a large bowl, add the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, chunks of avocado, and basil (cut into slices)
- Toss together with the oil and vinegar, plate with the salad on the bottom of the dish, and the fish placed gently on top, and enjoy!Â