This recipe uses the same ingredients across entree, sauce, and side to create a cohesive meal that feels like seaside vacation, and keeps your shopping list short. Red snapper is a delicate, succulent fish that cooks quickly in a hot oven. Prep your salsa and salad while the fish bakes, and you’ll have a beautiful meal that sits like a centerpiece on your table. Enjoy with rice, roasted potatoes, or plantains.
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 whole red snapper (or other whole fish), scaled and cleaned
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 scallion stalks
5 x ½-inch rings of bell pepper
1 Tablespoon of the dry seasoning (above)
½ jalapeno, roughly chopped
zest and juice of one lemon
½ cup cilantro, leaves and stems (about ⅔ bunch)
4 green onions, the green parts roughly chopped
¼ cup pineapple
1 clove garlic
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
3 green onions, sliced
½ jalapeno, deseeded and sliced
½ cup thinly sliced pineapple
⅓ cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
In a small bowl, mix the dry seasoning together. Reserve one Tablespoon of the seasoning for the salsa verde. With a sharp knife, score the fish 3 times on both sides.
Rub the olive oil all over the fish, inside and out. Rub the dry seasoning all over the fish inside and out as well. Stuff the fish with the lemon slices, cilantro, and the scallion stalks and white parts. Smash the stalks with a fork.
Arrange the slices of bell pepper on foil on a baking sheet and set the seasoned fish on top of the peppers.
Cook the fish for 16-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 130°F.
Combine the dry seasoning, jalapeno, lemon zest and juice, cilantro, green onion, pineapple, and garlic in a food processor.
Pulse until homogeneous, scraping the bowl once or twice to combine evenly.
Once blended, stir in the oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, brown sugar, and fish or soy sauce.
Add the cabbage, green onions, jalapeno, pineapple, bell pepper, cilantro and toss.