Baked Whole Snapper Basque Style Recipes

BAKED WHOLE SNAPPER BASQUE STYLE

Steps:

• Rinse the fish in cold water and pat it dry inside and out with paper towels. Place it on a shallow glass or ceramic platter. Sprinkle the fish inside and out with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Whisk the olive oil and garlic together and pour over the fish, rubbing it into the skin on both sides. With a very sharp knife, make 3 incisions right down to the bone and insert a lemon slice in each one. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.
• To make the sofrito, heat the olive oil over low heat in a large heavy skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until translucent. Add the tomatoes, olives, salt, oregano, and wine and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the sauce is thickened, stir in the Tabasco and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack in the upper middle position. Rub a large roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and lay the sliced potatoes in 4 overlapping lines to make a square. Season them generously. Wrap the tail of the snapper in foil and lay the fish on top of the potatoes. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the top. Bake until the fish is done through and flaky, about 45 minutes. Reheat the sofrito over low heat for the last 8 to 10 minutes of the cooking time.
• Slide the fish onto a large oval platter and arrange the potatoes at the top and bottom of the platter. Spoon the tomato sauce along the sides and remove the foil from the tail. Sprinkle the parsley over all and serve.

BILBAO-STYLE RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Rinse fish and pat dry, then rub inside and out with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt. Place opened fish, skin side down, in a large shallow baking dish (13 by 9 by 2 1/2 inches) and bake until fish is just cooked through, about 20 minutes (fish will be opaque).
• While fish bakes, thinly slice garlic cloves. Heat remaining 1/3 cup oil with garlic in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, shaking skillet gently, until garlic is pale golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully pour in vinegar (mixture will splatter), then stir to combine. Pour garlic sauce over fish (mixture may splatter).

WHOLE BAKED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rub the fish with olive oil and place it in an oiled oval pan, gratin dish, or sheet pan. Bake for about 15 minutes per inch of thickness at the thickest part of the fish. Check for doneness by carefully sliding a paring knife into the back at the thickest part, gently lifting the top fillet, and peeking inside to make sure the fish pulls away from the bone and the flesh is opaque (but still moist) rather than translucent and raw. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon.;