These baked red snapper fillets are an easy oven recipe made with boneless snapper, blackened seasoning or Old Bay, butter, garlic, and fresh lemon. The fish bakes quickly and comes out tender, flaky, and full of flavor.
Jump to:
- What Is Red Snapper?
- Cajun Blackened Seasoning
- How Much Red Snapper Per Person?
- Ingredients
- How To Bake Red Snapper Fillets
- What To Serve With Baked Red Snapper Fillets
- Storage and Reheating
- Buying Fish in the Florida Keys
- Blackened Fish Recipes
- More Snapper Recipes
- FAQ
- Baked Red Snapper Fillets with Lemon Butter Sauce
What Is Red Snapper?
Red snapper is a mild white fish with a clean flavor and firm, flaky texture. It's popular in Florida and along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
The fish bakes quickly and holds together well, which makes red snapper a good choice for simple oven-baked fish recipes like this one.
Cajun Blackened Seasoning
These baked red snapper fillets are seasoned with Cajun blackened seasoning, a spice blend made with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.
You can make your own with our recipe or use a store-bought blend. Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic works well, and Old Bay is a good milder option.
The seasoning gives the snapper good color and flavor without breading or frying.
How Much Red Snapper Per Person?
Plan on 6 to 8 ounces of red snapper fillets per person for dinner. One pound of fillets will serve about 2 people as a main dish.
If you're serving the fish with rice, potatoes, salad, or vegetables, you can stretch 1 pound to 3 servings.
Red snapper fillets vary in size. Small red snapper may give you two modest fillets, while larger fish can produce much bigger pieces. If your fillets are very large or thick, add a few extra minutes to the baking time and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Red Snapper Fillets: Use 1 pound of skinless, boneless red snapper fillets. Pat the fish dry before seasoning so the oil and spices stick.
- Olive Oil: A little olive oil keeps the fish moist and helps the seasoning coat the fillets evenly.
- Blackened Seasoning or Old Bay: Blackened seasoning gives the fish a deeper color and a little Cajun flavor. Old Bay is milder and works well if you want less heat.
- Lemon Wedges: Serve the baked snapper with fresh lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the sauce so you can control the salt.
- Garlic: One small clove is enough. Mince it fine so it blends into the butter sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens the butter sauce.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds color and a clean finish. Chop it finely before adding it to the sauce.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Use salt and pepper to season the lemon butter sauce. If your blackened seasoning or Old Bay is salty, go easy on extra salt.
How To Bake Red Snapper Fillets
Snapper cooks quickly, so have your sides, sauce, and serving plates ready before the fish goes in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Place the fillets on the prepared baking sheet. If the skin is still on, place the fish skin side down. If the fillets are skinless, place the smoother side down.
- Brush the top of the fish lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle the fillets with blackened seasoning or Old Bay, then press the seasoning gently onto the fish.
- Bake the red snapper fillets for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on their thickness. There is no need to flip the fish.
- While the fish bakes, make the lemon butter sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, salt, and black pepper.
- The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the thickest part.
- Transfer the baked fish to plates and spoon the warm lemon butter over the top. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
What To Serve With Baked Red Snapper Fillets
Baked red snapper fillets go well with simple side dishes that do not overpower the fish. Serve them with rice, roasted potatoes, green beans, steamed asparagus, mango coleslaw, or a fresh garden salad.
For a Florida-style dinner, try corn mango salsa, roasted broccoli and carrots, or mango pico de gallo.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover baked red snapper fillets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Fish is best reheated gently so it does not dry out. Warm leftover snapper in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, just until heated through.
You can also reheat it in a 300°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
The microwave works in a pinch, but the texture is better in a skillet or oven. If you use the microwave, transfer the fish to a microwave-safe plate first.
Leftover red snapper also makes great fish tacos or you can fold the fish into a fish omelet.
Buying Fish in the Florida Keys
If you are visiting the Florida Keys, fresh snapper is easy to find at local fish markets. Look for fillets that are moist, firm, and clean-smelling. Fresh fish should smell like the sea, not fishy.
Ask what was caught that day. Red snapper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, golden tilefish, hogfish, grouper, and tripletail are all good choices for this recipe.
If red snapper is not available, choose another mild white fish fillet that is about the same thickness. Thin fillets cook quickly and work best for this baked fish recipe.
Blackened Fish Recipes
If you like this baked red snapper, visit my full collection of blackened fish recipes for more easy seafood dinners.
For more ways to cook snapper, see my full collection of snapper recipes.
More Snapper Recipes
Try one of these snapper recipes next:
FAQ
Yes. Red snapper is the main fish in this recipe, but yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, lane snapper, and vermilion snapper also work well. You can also use another mild white fish, such as grouper, hogfish, mahi mahi, or cod.
Red snapper has a mild, clean flavor with a firm, flaky texture. It is not a strong or oily fish, which makes it a good choice for baking with lemon butter, blackened seasoning, Old Bay, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Bake red snapper fillets at 400 °F for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on their thickness. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the thickest part.
Yes. Use less blackened seasoning, or use Old Bay for a milder flavor. If you make your own blackened seasoning, reduce the cayenne pepper.
Yes. This recipe uses lemon butter, but lime juice or key lime juice also works well with red snapper. Use the same amount.
The Fish House in Key Largo is a good local spot for fresh fish. It is at 102401 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037.
Baked Red Snapper Fillets with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 1 pound boneless red snapper fillets, skin-on or skinless
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons blackened seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
- Lemon wedges for serving
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Place the fillets on the prepared baking sheet. If the skin is still on, place the fish skin side down.
- Brush the tops of the fillets with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the fish with blackened seasoning or Old Bay seasoning.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. There is no need to flip the fillets.
- While the fish bakes, make the lemon butter sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, kosher salt, and black pepper. Remove from the heat and cover the pot.
- The red snapper is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the thickest part.
- Transfer the baked red snapper fillets to plates. Spoon the warm lemon butter sauce over the top and serve with lemon wedges.
Jon Segal says
We loved this ❤️