Roasted Red Snapper with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

This Red Snapper Recipe is seasoned simply and baked quickly, giving you a fantastic fish dinner in under 30 minutes. Roasting the snapper in the oven is a great way to ensure the fish is cooked evenly without drying out the delicate texture. 

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

If you've been talking about adding more healthy fish dishes into your diet, this is an easy and impressive recipe to add into your rotation! 

The dish is based on a 2007 recipe from Ted Allen of Chopped fame. I adapted the recipe to use with a roasted white fish, instead of pan-seared salmon. The flavors are fresh and craveable and way beyond your average seafood dish. 

You can also use the cherry tomato vinaigrette and roast it along with a whole snapper. I find that using snapper fillets created a more user-friendly experience. But if you're comfortable working with whole fish, by all means, use a 2-3 pound whole red snapper and roast for about 22-25 minutes, until cooked through. 

For more roasted whole fish deliciousness, check out Baked Branzino with Tomato Butter.

What Does Red Snapper Taste Like?

Red snapper is a surprisingly meaty fish for being so lean. The flavor is mild, sweet, and a little nutty - the perfect combination to balance the bright notes in our cherry tomato and shallot sauce. 

While this fish is popular with every fish lover in my life, red snapper is also one of the best fish to cook for people who are wary of eating "fishy" fish. The clean, uncomplicated flavor of the fish takes well to whatever seasoning or sauce you add, creating a flavor profile that won't compete for attention.

Ingredients for Baked Red Snapper:

Before we get to the step by step instructions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Fish: fresh snapper fillets are ideal here, but use frozen if that's what you have. For a substitute, look for cod, haddock or tilapia. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish fillet and the type of fish you choose. Bake until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. 

Tomatoes: cherry tomatoes are objectively the best tomato option for consistent sweetness year-round. Use grape tomatoes if they're fresh and in season, or chop (and remove some of the seeds) from Roma tomatoes.

Capers: the combination of bright capers and red wine vinegar alongside the warmth of cumin and freshness of cilantro? *chef's kiss* It does not disappoint. If you must find a substitute, use diced briny green olives or cornichons. 

Spices: cumin, salt and pepper make up our simple spice mixture. Ground cumin is fine, or if you're feeling fancy, grind cumin seeds yourself!

Herbs: cilantro is my favorite option for adding finishing freshness to this dish. But I tested the recipe using flat leaf parsley and chives, and both were delicious. So use what you have!

Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.

How to Make This Easy Fish Recipe

Step 1: Toss Together Sauce

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a baking dish, toss the halved cherry tomatoes with the sliced shallots, diced capers, red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, cumin, black pepper and ½ teaspoon of salt. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes while preparing the fish.

2. Prep Fish

Dry the fillets well using paper towels. Then season the flesh side of each snapper fillet with salt. Set aside.

Remove lightly roasted cherry tomato and shallot mix out of the oven.

Place fish fillets, skin side up, over the tomato mixture. Using a pastry brush, coat the skin side of the fillets in remaining olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

(If you don't plan on eating the skin, or prefer to serve the fish skin-side down, bake it with the white fish side up.)

3. Bake, Garnish, Serve!

Transfer the baking dish to the oven and roast until the fish is cooked through and the tomato mixture is bubbling, about 8-10 minutes. Broil for the final 2 minutes for crispy skin. 

To serve, plate the baked fish fillets. Stir the diced cilantro into the tomato shallot sauce.

Spoon the tomato shallot vinaigrette over the fish.

More Fish Recipes to Try!

• Baked Walleye in Lemon Butter Sauce
• Baked Fish Tacos
• Grilled Salmon with Herb Mayo
• Fajita-Spiced Tilapia with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Tips for Making Red Snapper:

Buying tips: If you can get your snapper fillets fresh, that's ideal. When cooking with frozen (and thawed) snapper fillets in the US, I have found that some of them curled up when cooked, likely due to the age of the fish. If you're not confident in the freshness of your red snapper options, choose cod, haddock or even tilapia for more consistent results. 

Defrosting tips: Leave snapper fillets in the refrigerator overnight, or soak fish (in original packaging) in very cold water for about 30 minutes, until thawed. Once defrosted, dry fish very well before seasoning and baking.

Cooking tips: Overcooking snapper is the main factor that can produce tough, dry fish. If you're using an instant-read thermometer, pull the fish from the oven at 125°F, then let it sit in the pan for 5 mins and come up another 5 degrees. 

Storing tips: Transfer the fish and cherry tomatoes to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, warm gently in a skillet over medium heat, just until warmed through. 

Do I need to remove the skin from red snapper?

Snapper skin is not only edible, it's delicious when crispy. If you don't care for fish skin, ask your fishmonger to remove it. Or just bake the fish with the skin intact, then lift the fillet off the skin before serving. Easy peasy!

What to Serve with Healthy Red Snapper?

This one-pan dish produces enough roasted tomatoes to be considered a veggie side! But if you're looking for even more side dish magic, here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with red snapper:

• Grilled Asparagus 
• Lemon Garlic Seasoned Green Beans
• Mediterranean Basmati with Lemon and Dill
• Duchess Potato Casserole

If you try this recipe, please let me know! Connect on Instagram or Pinterest and leave a 5-Star Review on the recipe card! 

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