Thinking of what to eat tonight? Whether you enjoy it alone or with some good friends and company, you can never go wrong with red snapper. Red snappers are fishes with a sweet and delicate flavor that dances in your mouth, making it a perfect meal for dinner. But how does one bake a red snapper to tasty dinner perfection? For me, I like to use a cooking temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit. So how long to bake red snapper in oven at 375 degrees? In this post, I’m going to give my answer and other tips to the best oven-baked red snapper.
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It takes 20 minutes to bake red snapper at 375 degrees in the oven to a perfect doneness. If you have a food thermometer, it would also be nice to check the internal temp of the fish. And if it’s around 137 degrees Fahrenheit, then that’s just perfect! If you want the red fish to be slightly under cooked, an internal temperature of 130 degrees would be good and enjoyable too!
You may also find that some recipes on the internet that prefer to cook the fish at higher temperatures at around 400 to 450 degrees, which works too. This would cook your fish faster and it would only take around 10-15 minutes. But it may be hard to estimate if the fish is done. This being said, baking it at 375 degrees is just enough to achieve that flaky, soft, and perfectly cooked fish with a slight brown crisp.
Like many other proteins fish, red snapper can be prepared and enjoyed in many different ways. Aside from baking, others choose to fry, pan sear, or even roast red snappers and they’re just as good, I tell you. If you’re using whole red snapper fish, you can bake, grill, or broil it. While if you’re using fillets, they’re best for steaming and pan-frying.
For baking a red snapper, seasoning is totally up to you. You can go from simple salt and pepper to a full-on reduction sauce, and either way is good. A simple way to enjoy red snapper would be cutting slits on the fish and filling it with a mix of minced garlic, jalapeño, parsley, and seasoning it with salt, pepper, white wine, and other seasonings of your choice, then letting it sit overnight to soak in the marinade. The next day, simply pop it into your oven and enjoy this very scrumptious recipe.
Others also prefer enjoying the fish with a mix of lemon and herb butter, which is also amazing. Grilling, roasting, pan-searing, and frying red snappers don’t require much too. A simple salt, pepper, ginger, lemon, and garlic can do a great job. Red snappers have a very delicate flavor that may be ruined by strong seasonings. So, simplicity is really the way to go for red snappers.
If you want to quickly have red snapper inside your belly, here are ways you can speed up the baking.
As said a while ago, raising the temperature does save you at least a good 5 minutes as it cooks your fish faster. But, if you would to raise the temperature, make sure to be extra careful and attentive to your baking fish to prevent it from overcooking or even getting burnt.
If you need to rush cooking the fish, you may also choose not to let the marinade sit overnight, and simply pop it in the oven right away after seasoning it. While the flavor may not be as deep as the overnight marinade, I’m sure the taste will still dance in your tongue and will leave you with a scrumptious meal.
Cooking the red snapper as a whole may also be a reason why it’s taking time. For this, you may choose to buy fillets or thin red snapper steaks instead of whole red snapper fish to quicken the baking. However, like raising the temperature, this is more prone to overcooking, so make sure to always check your fish while it’s baking.
Nothing will go wrong with choosing a very scrumptious red snapper as your meal for tonight. But, here are things that could make your fish just so much better and enjoyable.
Red snapper is an amazing tasty dish on its own. But you can pair it with side dishes to bring the taste to a even higher level. Side dishes with simple taste are the best to bring out the sweet taste of red snapper. Simple butter-seared greens like beans and some potatoes will pair well with your fish. Complete the dish with little lemon to add an acid balance and a bold citrus flavor to the delicate fish. Other side dishes you can opt for include fried green beans and garlic fries.
To really enjoy the sweet taste of the red snapper, the sauces we used should be simple too. A simple fresh herb sauce or parsley sauce will go well with the red snapper to bring out the sweet taste. If you haven’t added lemon to the red snapper yet, a lemon cream sauce will be a great sauce to go with red snapper too.
This said, red snapper is truly a great protein of choice. Whether you’re about to have this fish alone or with some good company, I hope this can help you prepare red snapper for your meal tonight. Bon appétit!
The red snapper should be cooked to an internal temperature of 137 degrees Fahrenheit for a perfectly well done fish. However, if you prefer a slightly under-cooked red snapper, you can remove it from the oven when the red snapper internal temp reaches 130 degrees. Note that this temperature should be taken at the thickest part of the red snapper as it takes longer to get cooked there.
It will take 15 minutes to bake red snapper at 400 degrees in the oven. At this temperature, the fish will acquire a crispy texture while having flaky, soft flesh inside.
Yes, Red snapper are good to eat. They taste mild and sweet. And the flesh is firm, tender and moist. And adding a lemon over the baked fish will really bring out that sweet flavors in your fish.