Today I am sharing my recipe for an easy and healthy Oven Roasted Yellowtail Snapper recipe that'll have the whole family returning to the dinner table again and again.
The yellowtail is flavored with Old Bay seasoning and packs a flavorful punch. Give it a shot - you'll love the delicious results, we promise!
Jump to:
- Why We Love This Recipe
- What You Need
- What Can I Substitute for Yellowtail?
- How to Thaw Frozen Fish
- How to Roast Yellowtail
- What is Old Bay?
- What Goes with Roasted Yellowtail Snapper?
- Where To Get Yellowtail in the Florida Keys
- What Other Fish is Native to the Florida Keys?
- Learn More about Yellowtail Fishing in the Keys
- "📖 Recipe"
- FAQ
- 💬 Comments
Why We Love This Recipe
- This is the easiest way to cook fish fillets in the oven!
- Whether it's yellowtail or hogfish, your taste buds will surely thank you for this one-pan wonder! Fresh fish is a treat.
- You'll have a super healthy meal with 2 minutes of prep and ten brief minutes of roasting time. Steam some veggies on the side or enjoy with a big salad.
What You Need
- Yellowtail Snapper is available all over Florida. Wild-caught thin fillets of your favorite fish will work well too.
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper, just a bit.
- Seafood Seasoning. I used Old Bay seasoning to make this fish. It is available in all U.S. grocery stores. I also like Southernmost Blend from Key West Spice Co. You can pick them up at Publix and Winn Dixie throughout Florida.
- Lemons
- Fresh parsley, either flat leaf or curly.
What Can I Substitute for Yellowtail?
You can substitute any thin white fish fillet for Yellowtail in this recipe. Hogfish, Mutton Snapper, Mango Snapper, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, or wild-caught Catfish would be great.
If you have a thicker fillet, such as Atlantic Tripletail, Sworfish, Grouper, or even Mahi Mahi, roast these for 15-20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork, and you'll have an excellent meal.
If you're outside Florida, look for wild-caught Flounder, Sole, or Cod.
How to Thaw Frozen Fish
- If your fish is frozen, place it in the refrigerator to thaw. This process typically takes no more than an hour. Note that yellowtail, being very thin, may thaw even more quickly.
- Alternatively, you can place the fish in a colander in the sink and run cold water over it until it softens. However, be careful not to rip or break the fillets when defrosting them this way, especially if you're doing it more aggressively.
How to Roast Yellowtail
Roasting yellowtail in the oven is a simple process.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with the oven rack set in the lower half of the oven.
- Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray or brush with oil. I use a Pyrex glass pan.
- Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.
Lightly season the fish and both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the fish in the pan.
Season the top of the fish with Old Bay seasoning, or other seafood seasoning.
Scatter butter over and around the fish. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fish easily flakes with a fork.
Remove from oven. Scatter parsley over the top.
What is Old Bay?
Do you love seafood? If you've ever experienced a mild, spicy seasoning with herbs and hints of citrus that add new flavors to your meals, you were probably tasting Old Bay Seasoning.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Old Bay was the brainchild of Gustav Brunn, a German immigrant who was a spice merchant in Germany before continuing his trade in the U.S. after World War II.
He developed a spice blend specifically for Baltimore's wholesale seafood businesses, giving birth to Old Bay. This delicious blend of spices has been delighting diners since 1939 and continues to be one of the most popular seasonings for fish, shrimp, crab cakes, and chicken wings.
What Goes with Roasted Yellowtail Snapper?
Roasted or baked yellowtail would go well with any vegetable or salad.
You can roast the snapper and serve it over a Caesar Salad. You can also serve it with a side of Chickpea Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad.
For hot sides, try these:
- Lemon Asparagus Rice
- Authentic Spanish Rice
- Crispy Oven Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
- Oven Roasted Cauliflower
- Steamed Broccoli and Carrots
- Steamed Brussels Sprouts
- Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
- Roasted Asparagus
Where To Get Yellowtail in the Florida Keys
- Key Largo Fisheries in Key Largo
- Keys Fisheries in Marathon
- Eaton Street Market in Key West
What Other Fish is Native to the Florida Keys?
Snapper is caught off the coast of all the Florida Keys and Miami. It is a wild-caught small fish with flaky, mild, and sweet flesh. The fish cooks for 10 minutes.
- Tripletail
- Red Snapper
- Dolphin, or Mahimahi
- Mutton Snapper
- Mangrove Snapper
- Swordfish
- Blackfin Red Snapper
- Grouper
- Hogfish
- Snook
For native shellfish, try Stone Crabs with Mustard Sauce, Key West Pink Shrimp, and spiny lobsters at our local restaurants.
Learn More about Yellowtail Fishing in the Keys
There's an interesting article on floridasportsman.com that describes how to catch yellowtail, including using chum, oats, Ballyhoo, and shorter rods.
Additionally, there's night fishing available from Robbie's of Islamorada. The five-hour trip runs from 5:30 to 12:30, and bait, tackle, and rods are included. Check it out—it looks like fun!
Summary
With a few simple steps, you can make this delicious and healthy snapper recipe at home.
This fresh yellowtail is seasoned with Old Bay seasoning. It's dotted with cubes of butter and baked in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the fish fillets. Pull the pan out of the oven. and dinner is served! It's so easy and so good!
On busy weeknights, I love cooking thin white fillets of fish with Old Bay seasoning—usually yellowtail, but sometimes we have hogfish or Tripletail. All thin white fish fillets can be used following this recipe.
Roasted Yellowtail is a low-calorie and low-carb fish recipe that takes five minutes of prep work and 10 to 15 minutes in the oven.
If you prefer air frying, check out Air Fryer Snapper with Cauliflower.
To view all our snapper recipes, visit The Best Snapper Recipes in The Keys.
"📖 Recipe"
Roasted Yellowtail Snapper with Old Bay Seasoning
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking dish
- Tongs
- Knife
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Yellowtail snapper fillets defrosted if frozen
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seafood seasoning original flavor
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 2-3 lemons cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and set the rack in the low position.
- Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray or brush it with oil. If using a rimmed sheet pan, cover it with parchment paper.
- Rinse the fish and pat it dry.
- Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the fish in a single layer on the baking pan.
- Season the fish with Old Bay seasoning or any other seafood seasoning of your choice.
- Cube the butter and scatter the cubes over and around the fish.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fish easily flakes with a fork.
- Remove the pan from the oven and scatter parsley over the fish.
- Plate servings and spoon butter over each fillet. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Yellowtail filets are about $19.00 per pound and whole fish are about $15.00 per pound in Key Largo, Florida in 2024.
Yellowtail snapper from Florida and the Caribbean is about 30 inches (75 cm) long and weighs 3 to 5 pounds.
Yellowtail is mild and sweet tasting. It is fish, so it tastes like fish, but not "fishy" tasting. Consume within 2 days of catching it so it's fresh or pack and place in your freezer for up to 3 months.
Yellowtail Snapper from the Florida Keys is sweet and mild tasting. It is one of the prized fish species of Key Largo.
Yellowtail is a mild, sweet-tasting fish. It can be fried, pan-fried, roasted, or used in ceviche.
Each 4 oz. serving has 110 calories.
Bake yellowtail fillets at 375°F (190°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
