Jose Grinan's Famous Baked Red Snapper
I wanted to do something a little different this year. My dad comes from a small seaside village in Cuba... and in addition to the traditional turkey, sometimes during our Thanksgiving Day meal he'll go to a fish market and pick up one of these... a red snapper, which became part of our Thanksgiving Day meal.
Preparation is key and everything you’d need to do it is easily available. How much you use is gauged by the size of your fish.
You'll need a medium to large pan. It could be aluminum, glass, or whatever you prefer.
You'll need:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Oregano
- Some white or red potatoes
- Some green and red bell peppers. Color doesn’t matter.
(Depending on your taste preferences, you can add others seasonings like ground coriander, cumin, salt, pepper etc.)
Spray a non-stick product on your baking pan's bottom.
Cut potatoes into ¼ inch slices… and line the bottom of the pan with the potatoes.
Cut onions the same way and place slices on top of the potatoes.
Now, its time to put the fish on its bed of vegetables.
Personally, I like to have slits on the fish’s body to insert seasonings such as bay leaves and crushed garlic.
I stuff the fish with several cloves of garlic and a couple of bay leaves, too.
Then, I crush some fresh garlic and stuff it inside those slits on the side of the fish, where bay leaves have already been placed.
Then, sprinkle some oregano on top. You can never use too much oregano.
For color and show… I use red onions to ring the pan.
I also use Green and red bell peppers... some cut into strips, others are made into rings. Then place slit peppers over slits in fish... and the rings the length of the fish.
Sprinkle some oregano on top, again... and add a nice drizzle of olive oil.
Then, cover with aluminum foil and place in an oven that's been pre-heated to 425 degrees.
Let the fish bake for 25 to 35 minutes before you take it out. Make sure the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Now, you are ready to enjoy a baked snapper. Bon apetit!