This Dominican Fried Red Snapper is the best fish I have ever had in my entire life. And believe me I have had a lot of fish. Perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Because we create some slits before seasoning, all that flavor will seep right in and boy is it going to be tasty!
When you buy the fish, make sure it is cleaned for you. I usually go to my local Asian market because they have a great selection and the fish are super fresh. They also clean the fish for me and cut it up if I want that. Many people eat the fish whole, like I do and others prefer the head cut off. That is something you can ask to be cut as well.
You must be careful while eating it because there are small bones and those can be easily missed. I actually love using my hands to eat it because I can feel the bones before putting the fish in my mouth.
And of course, we always eat a whole fish per person, especially if you buy smaller size snappers, which is also what I prefer. I love seeing the whole fish on my plate.
When it comes to sides, we tend to have this fried red snapper with tostones, Fried Green Plantains. I like to also serve it with Dominican Rice and Beans. either would be perfect!
Dominican Fried Red Snapper
Ingredients
- 4 red snappers I like them not too big and cleaned out at store
- 4 tbs lime juice
- 3 tbs minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbs sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbs Goya adobo
- 2 cups flour
- Mazola Corn Oil about 1-1/2 inch depth of pan
Instructions
- Rinse snappers well with water.
- On a cutting board, create 3 deep slits on both sides of the snappers.
- Place snappers in a bowl as you go.
- When done, we are going to season.
- Pour lime juice, garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, onion powder and adobo over the fish and mix in well into the fish.
- Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours but overnight would be preferred. I have even seasoned for 36 hours. The flavors get super into the fish. Yum!
- When ready to make, use the largest non-stick frying pan you have. Add enough oil to cover at least 1-1/2 inches of depth.
- Heat the skillet for a few minutes over medium heat. In the meantime, dredge the snapper.
- Dredge in flour and make sure to get flour into those crevices so they are also nice and crispy.
- Fry for a few minutes on the first side but do not turn until it is ready. Just check by lifting a little to make sure the snapper is golden. That is a sign, especially at medium heat that is is ready to be turned over.
- Once you turn over, dredge the cooked side with the oil a couple of times to make sure the top stays nice and hot.
- Total time should be no longer than 15 minutes for frying. But of course, not all stoves are the same so keep an eye on it the entire time.
- Serve with your favorite sides. We like to serve with tostones (fried green plantains), rice and beans. All these recipes are on my blog as well.
Video
Notes
You must be careful while eating it because there are small bones and those can be easily missed. I actually love using my hands to eat it because I can feel the bones before putting the fish in my mouth.
And of course, we always eat a whole fish per person, especially if you buy smaller size snappers, which is also what I prefer. I love seeing the whole fish on my plate.
Wow! It looks so delicious. Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Anytime! You are welcome! 🙂
I’m about to make it today, wish me luck ☺️☺️
How did it go? I would love to know!
Wow cant wait to make this for holiday dinner . We get fresh snapper here in panhandle of florida and this will be a great variation to the grilled we usually do with whole snapper
Definetly will add the plantains and rice/beans awesome combo
Cant wait to cook
Yay! I am so happy you are entrusting me with tonight’s dinner. I am sure you will love it! Let me know how you liked it. Like you, I always prefer it with rice and beans. 😉
Best fry fish recipe I have ever tasted. It’s just delicious!!!
Thank you so much for commenting about your experience with this recipe. It is one of my favorites so I am so happy you liked it!
2 tablespoons of Adobo, right?
Hi! Yes, 2. 🙂
Thank you very much!
Love this recipe 💜
Thank you!
We made this dish night and it was fantastic! We used one large snapper and only marinated 1 hour! It was moist and delicious. We added a little Five Spice seasoning to add a little zing, which worked well. The dish looked exactly like the picture. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for your comment. I am so excited you loved it! It is really an amazing recipe and making it ours is something I always support. I have friends who always sprinkle it with hot sauce. 😉
Love cooking whole fish and the latin touch Served with lime/cilantro rice and side salad . Added MADUROS (SWEET PLANTAINS) of course
Can’t wait to try your other dominican inspired recipes
I am so excited to read this Todd! let me know what else you make. I’d love to hear your feedback!
My first time frying snapper at home and thankfully I came across your recipe! I’m in love! Now it’ll be hard to order it at a restaurant. Muchas gracias!
Awww, Thank you! It is really good right?! I am so happy you liked it! I can’t order it out either! hahaha!
My family loves this recipe and it even gets my husband cooking! We order fried red snapper from a columbian place up the street from us and this recipe is a perfect! So juicy and fresh! Thank you!
You are welcome! I am so happy you like it! It is truly delicious!
I try to watch my fried food intake but fried snapper is my “cheat meal.” Husband brought home 4 snapper and baked the first 2. Was good but didn’t hit the spot so I looked for a fried recipe online. The spices for this sounded delicious so decided to try it. Took some elbow grease to get all of the scales off (he was too impatient to wait for them to fully clean it at the farmers market) but managed to get it as clean as possible and was able to marinate it for about 6 hrs. I did cut the sea salt down to 1tsp and was still a tad too salty for me but my husband loved it! Might cut it down again to 1/2 tsp but will def make again.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I am glad you and your husband liked it. The salt… yes, we all have our taste when it comes to amount but I am happy that you are kind enough to tell me you’ll cut it to your taste next time. Some people are not that kind. 🙂