I’ll just say it. I LOVE Snapper! And I especially love the Queen Snapper my hubby brought home from a recent Gulf of Mexico offshore trip. Aside from being especially delicious, Queen Snapper is a gorgeous fish — bright red (almost candy apple), with a deep forked tail and huge eyes. It’s a deep water fish, usually hanging out around rocky reefs and, since it’s a tough fighter, it’ll make you work for every inch of line you gain all the way up to the surface. I’ve caught one before (no pic, unfortunately), and I recall being particularly exhausted after getting her to the boat. Needless to say, a cool beverage was in order after that 🙂
Here’s a pic of hubby with our friend Jim — two very happy anglers.
Queen Snapper’s flesh is mild, delicate, white and flaky — everything Snapper should be. So, armed with two beautiful fillets, I decided to prepare it in a crunchy coating of coconut and Panko, then zing it up a bit with the lime and cilantro I had in the fridge. The coconut adds a light sweetness, which is offset by the tanginess of the lime and the freshness of the cilantro. This is a simple recipe in which you can use just about any white, flaky fish. Enjoy — hubby and I surely did!
- 2 (6-8 oz.) Snapper fillets, cleaned, skinned & deboned
- ¼ c. all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
- ¼ c. Panko bread flakes
- ¼ c. shredded coconut
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tb. unsalted butter
- 1 Tb. olive oil
- 1 Tb. fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- 2-3 Tb. shaved coconut, toasted, for garnish
- 3 Tb. unsalted butter
- 1 Lime, zested
- 1 Tb. cilantro, chopped
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Set up 3 dishes for dredging (1 for flour, 1 for beaten egg, 1 for Panko & coconut).
- Heat an oven safe, non-stick pan on medium/high; add butter and olive oil.
- Dredge fish in flour, then egg, then Panko/coconut mixture.
- Place fish in hot pan; cook about 1 minute, then check bottom to ensure brownness. When brown, flip each fillet and allow to cook about 1 more minute (until browned).
- Place pan in oven; allow to cook another 1-2 minutes (don't overcook or the fish will be dry!).
- While in the oven, prepare the Lime-Cilantro topping by melting butter in a small sauce pan, then mixing in lime zest and cilantro. Remove from heat.
- Remove fish from oven & transfer to plates; spoon butter mixture over fish, then top with cilantro and toasted coconut.
SallyJoJo
Thanks for the recipe this was great! I used some fabulous tripletail 🙂
Nicole Coudal
Great to hear Sally! Glad to know this recipe worked with another delicious fish. I love tripletail. . .my husband calls it “tripleicious” 🙂
Wendy
This sounds like a perfect way to make snapper. Coconut, lime and cilantro. Yum. I’m definitely going to try this. Love the photo of the two handsome men with the Queen!
Nicole Coudal
Those ARE some handsome men! Enjoy the tasty snapper 🙂
Robin Draper
This recipe looks AMAZING! Thank you!
Nicole Coudal
Thanks Robin. If you try it, let me know how it turns out 🙂