HungryForever

ROASTED RED SNAPPER with Rosemary

Roasting fish is easy and helps keep it moist, tender, and flaky. On Italy’s many coasts, it’s popular to cook fish whole—including tail and head, which is considered a delicacy for many types of fish. I can live without the heads, but I do like to stuff the fish for an added burst of flavor and aroma.

Servings

Ingredients

2tablespoons olive oil
1 whole red snappercleaned and scaled, about 3 pounds
1teaspoon Saltplus more to taste
1teaspoon Freshly ground black pepperplus more to taste
1 lemoncut into 8 wedges
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 garlic clovesthinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil. Coat the foil with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Place the fish atop the foil, and sprinkle the fish cavity with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from 4 lemon wedges inside the fish cavity and then place those wedges in the cavity. Fill the cavity with the onion, fennel, rosemary, and garlic. Rub the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over the fish and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. (The fish can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Uncover before baking.)
Roast in the oven until the fish is just cooked through at the bone, about 40 minutes. Pull back the skin from atop the fish. Using a sharp knife, separate the two fillets from the backbone. Using a metal spatula, transfer the fillets to plates. Lift the fish backbone from the bottom fillets (the backbone and head should come off together easily), and discard. Using the spatula, transfer the remaining two fillets to plates. Sprinkle the fish with more salt and pepper to taste, and serve with the remaining lemon wedges.