This blackened baked snapper is an easy oven recipe made with snapper fillets, blackened seasoning, butter, and fresh key limes. The fish bakes quickly and comes out tender, flaky, and full of flavor. Serve it with rice, coleslaw, or a simple green vegetable for an easy seafood dinner.
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Snapper fillets are coated with blackened seasoning, dotted with butter, and baked until tender and flaky. It is a quick gluten-free fish dinner with big flavor and very little cleanup.
What Is Snapper?
Snapper is a mild white fish with a clean flavor and firm, flaky texture. It is popular in Florida and throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and it works well baked, pan-seared, fried, or grilled.
There are many types of snapper, including red snapper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, and mutton snapper. They are known for their strong jaws and sharp teeth, which is where the name "snapper" comes from.
Blackened Seasoning
This baked snapper is seasoned with homemade blackened seasoning, a Cajun-style spice blend made with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.
You can control the heat by using more or less cayenne pepper. For a shortcut, use Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic or another store-bought blackened seasoning.
For this oven-baked version, the seasoning gives the snapper plenty of flavor without breading or frying.
What You Need
- Skinless snapper fillets or other thin white fish fillets
- Blackened seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley or basil
- Key limes, limes, or lemons
- Salt and black pepper
See the recipe card for the full recipe.
How to Bake Blackened Snapper
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 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 pan and season both sides with a little salt and black pepper.
- Brush the fish lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with blackened seasoning and press it gently onto the fish.
- Bake the snapper for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. There is no need to flip the fish.
- While the fish bakes, warm the butter, lime juice, garlic, parsley or basil, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat.
- When coked through, the fish flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the thickest part.
- Transfer the fish to plates and spoon the melted herb butter over the top. Serve hot with lemon or lime wedges.
What To Serve With Blackened Fish
Blackened fish pairs well with simple side dishes that balance the spices. Try it with red potato salad, lemon asparagus rice, garlic Parmesan green beans, sweet coleslaw, or a fresh garden salad.
For a Florida-inspired meal, serve it with corn mango salsa, peach mango salsa, roasted potatoes, or roasted vegetables.
A wedge of lemon or lime on the side is always a good idea.
How To Reheat Fish
Fish is best reheated gently so it does not dry out. I like to warm leftover snapper in a 10-inch 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 do microwave it, transfer the fish to a microwave-safe plate first. Do not heat food in a plastic container.
Buying Fish in the 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 have a clean smell. Fresh fish should never smell fishy.
Ask what was caught that day. Yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, hogfish, grouper, and tripletail are all good choices for this recipe.
More Blackened Fish Recipes
If you love blackened seafood, visit our full collection of Blackened Fish Recipes for more easy fish dinners.
FAQ
Yes, you can! You can use yellowtail snapper in this recipe, but other snappers like red, mango, or vermillion work too. You can also use white fish like grouper or mahi.
Bake snapper for about 10 minutes, or until the fish easily flakes with a fork. Cooking times will vary based on the thickness of the fillets
Absolutely! The cayenne pepper brings the seasoning its heat. You can control the spiciness of the blackened seasoning according to your taste preferences.
Visit the Fish House at 102401 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037. The fish is fresh and always great!
Blackened Baked Snapper
Ingredients
- 12 ounces skinless, boneless snapper fillets
- 2 teaspoons blackened seasoning (see below for recipe) or Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- lemon wedges or key lime slices for serving
FOR THE SAUCE
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, or slivered basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh key lime juice, lime juice, or lemon juice
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the rack in the center of the oven. Linea rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat the snapper fillets dry with paper towels. Place them on the prepared pan.
- Place the fish on the pan and season both sides with a little salt and pepper.
- Season both sides with a little salt and black pepper. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with blackened seasoning.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.There is no need to flip the fish.
- While the fish bakes, warm the butter, lime juice, garlic, parsley or basil, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat
- The snapper is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the thickest part.
- Transfer the fish to plates and spoon the warm herb butter over each piece.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges or key lime slices.
Notes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper Store extra seasoning in a covered jar in your pantry for up to 3 months. For a larger dinner, double or triple the fish and make a double batch of the butter sauce. The seasoning recipe is enough for several pounds of fish. To reheat leftover fish, warm it gently in a skillet over low heat with a little butter. Cover the pan to help keep the fish moist.
Jon Segal says
We loved this ❤️