FRIED RED SNAPPER
Jason Glover
4
10 minutes
10 minutes
450
Seafood
Crisp, delicious snapper in a snap! Chef Jonathan Johnson walks us through this super simple recipe that results in tender, flaky fish that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- Pacific red snapper filets
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 ½ tsp paprika
- Peanut oil (for frying)
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Tools
- Large skillet (cast iron preferred)
- Cooling rack
- Pie pan (or similar shaped dish for dredging)
- Metal spatula (or other sturdy, heat tolerant style)
- Cutting board
- Knife
Directions
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Strip the thyme leaves from the sprigs and mince.
- Set aside the minced garlic and thyme.
- Lightly season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Mix the flour and cornmeal together. (TIP: Adjust the amounts if necessary, but keep a 2:1 ratio of flour to cornmeal.)
- Add the curry powder, paprika, minced garlic, and thyme to the flour mixture.
- Mix until well combined, then transfer the mixture to a pie plate or other shallow dish for dredging.
- Add enough peanut oil to a large skillet to shallow fry the fish (not deep fry), about 1/4".
- Heat the oil on high heat until hot.
- Dredge 1 filet (lightly coating both sides), then carefully place in the hot oil. (Be careful of spatter.)
- Repeat the process with the other filets. (TIP: Keep some space between filets for consistent cooking.)
- Fry for about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness and number of filets in the pan. (TIP: If the filet moves easily, it is time to flip.)
- Place the filets on a cooling rack to drain any excess oil and cool a bit before serving. (TIP: For easy clean-up, place the cooling rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Plate and garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
- Serve with your favorite veggies or sides.
