Baked Red Snapper

Growing up, I hated fish only for 1 reason, the bones... It was too time consuming to eat because I was literally "fishing" for bones rather than stuffing my mouth with it the way I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I love fish but really preferred the fillets because they were boneless. My mother, however, was the fish queen in our home. Do you remember those cartoons that would show a fish's skeleton with the bony head and body intact? I kid you not but that's how my mom ate her fish! I have no idea how all the meat was perfectly cleaned off but the only thing that would be left behind was bones, literally! She even ate the eyeballs!
Anyway, not too long ago, someone blessed us with a lot of seafood. We had shrimp, red snappers, and other fishes galore. We had so much red snapper (more than 10) and had to give some away. They were huge and we couldn't fit them all into our freezer. With the ones we had, my husband and I would experiment with different recipes. We called my mother for some ideas, got some ideas online, and made up some of our own. This one is one of our favorites. It's a combination of something we picked up online with the addition of our own ingredients. We had several different times to play around with the recipe and this one, by far, was one of the best. I hope you give it a try. 

Ingredients:

1 - 2 Red Snappers (depending on size)
2 large Lemons
1/4 Green Pepper, sliced
3 - 5 Garlic Cloves, sliced
1/2 Onion, sliced
1 - 2 sprigs of Thyme
1 stalk of Celery, cut in half and sliced lengthwise into thin strips
10 Grape Tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp. Butter, softened
2 tbsps. Epis
1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp. Adobo
1/2 - 1 Scotch Bonnet OR Habenero Pepper, seeded and sliced
​Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Our first step is preparing our fish. Depending on the size, you can use 2 small red snappers or 1 large one. The fish that were given to us were really large. I'm not sure how much this one weighed but it was nearly a foot and a half long. In some places, you can buy the fish already cleaned and prepped for you. If not, remove the scales and cut out all the fins except for it's tale. Make sure the gut is also cleaned out. Cut 3 slits on the fish's body on both sides. Use the juices of 1 large lemon and rub it all over the fish. Don't forget to squeeze some juices and rub the lemon on the inside as well. After a few minutes, thoroughly rinse off the fish and lay it on a foil-lined baking sheet. Thanks to my husband, he did an awesome job of cleaning the fish for me. I didn't have to touch it, woohoo! (You can also refer to the "Cleaning Fish" page for further details.)
2. To make the marinade, squeeze the juices of 1 large lemon into a bowl. To that, add 2 tbsps. of epis, 3 - 5 garlic cloves that have been sliced, 1/2 tsp. Adobo, 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt, and 1 tbsp. of softened butter. If desired, you can add 1/2 to 1 scotch bonnet or habenero pepper that have been sliced with the seeds removed. Mix the ingredients well. 
3. Spoon in some of the marinade inside the fish and use a basting brush to spread it around. Take some of your vegetables (onions, celery, tomatoes, green peppers) and stuff as much in there that can fit. Using more marinade, brush some onto the fish and into the slits on it's body. Be sure to flip the fish and do the same thing on the other side. My husband and I took a couple sticks of celery and rammed it into the fishes mouth. It's not part of the recipe but we thought it was funny. 
4. Add the remaining vegetables to the rest of the marinade and mix it well. Place the vegetables and marinade on and around the fish and sprinkle fresh ground pepper on it. Let it marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour. 
5. After marinating, cover it with aluminum foil and place the fish in a preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes. 
The fish was so big it couldn't fit on a plate so we ate it right off the baking sheet. It was juicy, flaky, and flavorful. The vegetables were also perfect and retained a delightful crunch. This would accompany a boiled plantain or a side of rice very well. 
Serves 1 - 3
What do you think of this recipe? How do you like your fish?
​Let me know and comment below!