Prior to working on this red snapper recipe, I had never bought a whole fish (head and all) from a market. Something about the whole thing intimidated me. In fact, the actual purchasing of the fish was pretty comical and I’m sure the fish monger was thinking, this girl has never cooked anything in her entire life. After a long selection process, I pointed to my fish, “I would like that guy please…no, no, not him….. HIM, yes him….if you could clean him up a bit,” I said. “What exactly do you want me to do ma’am?” he asked me as he pointed at a chart on the wall with various preparations of the fish I could request. I stared blankly at the chart obviously guessing, “Clean and scale, please!” I’m sure I was blushing at this point. He handed me my fish with a smirk and the rest was history.
Once I had my fish home I scoured the internet for every whole Thai red snapper recipe I could find. I was going to master this snapper and prove that fish monger wrong. I may have never cooked a whole snapper before but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from mastering it and making some damn good fish tacos. Let me tell you, these fish tacos were not only good, they were some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever made.
I went with a very simple preparation on the fish prior to frying it. Snapper is naturally delicious and I didn’t want to mask the flavor of the fish. The sweet gingery sauce and sesame seeds that finish it only enhance the crispy delicious flavor of the snapper. I served these tacos with fresh Mexican crema, avocado, sweet thai chili sauce, cilantro, garlic and grilled green onions. The sweet crispy skin of the fish is worth fighting over.
If you’ve never cooked a whole fish before or the idea of it intimidates you, fret not. This is one of the easiest and most rewarding meals I’ve ever put together. Let’s get started. Make sure to tell your fish monger you want a cleaned and scaled fish. In order to pull this recipe off you are going to need a large wok or a 12-inch or larger nonstick frying pan. I have this wok and I love it.
Step 1: Keeping score. Let’s score that fish. Scoring the fish takes the guess work out of cooking whole fish. It also allows the fish to cook evenly and you to fill the deep pockets with flavor. Use a chef’s knife to cut through the flesh at a 45-degree angle, down to the bone. Do not cut through the bone. I score in this pattern to ensure I can get more of the fish crispy and allow more sauce to sit on the fish when it’s finished.
Step 2: Get salty. Rinse the fish and dry the surface and the cavity of each thoroughly with paper towels. Water left on the fish will cause the oil to spit. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, and cumin. Rub it in to all the scored areas.
Step 3: Get saucy. Let’s make the sauce to spoon over the fish. In a small mixing bowl combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and sweet Thai chili sauce.
Step 4: Fry like you mean it. Heat oil in your large wok to 350°F. Make sure that you use enough oil to cover your fish about 3/8 of an inch. Carefully add the fish, letting the tails stick out of the pan if necessary. If you find that either your head your tail of the fish sticks out, spoon the hot oil over the fish while its cooks. Let the fish cook, without moving it until it appears crisp and browned, about 8-9 minutes. Using a large spatula, carefully the fish. Continue cooking until crisp and browned and just done, about 7 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.
Step 5: Top it off. While your fish is cooking work on all your other toppings. Slice your avocado, wash your cilantro, and get to work on those green onions. Slice your green onions in half lengthwise and then once the other way. This will make them easier to eat in the taco. Grill/char in a grill pan or cast iron skillet 1-2 minutes per side.
*Oh Snap* {Thai Crispy Fried Whole Red Snapper Tacos}
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 1 whole 1.5-2 Lb red snapper cleaned and scaled
- Cooking oil, for frying
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce (you can find this at Trader Joe's or most grocery stores)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
For the tacos:
- corn tortillas
- 1 avocado sliced into wedges
- 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream if you cannot find crema
- 6 green onions
- handful cilantro chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Use a chef's knife to cut through the flesh at a 45-degree angle, down to the bone. Do not cut through the bone. I score by cutting a diamond pattern on both sides of the fish to ensure I can get more of the fish crispy and allow more sauce to sit on the fish when it's finished.
- Rinse the fish and dry the surface and the cavity of each thoroughly with paper towels. Water left on the fish will cause the oil to spit. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, and cumin. Rub it in to all the scored areas.
- Make the sauce to spoon over the fish. In a small mixing bowl combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and sweet Thai chili sauce.
- Heat oil in your large wok to 350°F. Make sure that you use enough oil to cover your fish about 3/8 of an inch. Carefully add the fish, letting the tails stick out of the pan if necessary. If you find that either your head your tail of the fish sticks out, spoon the hot oil over the fish while its cooks. Let the fish cook, without moving it until it appears crisp and browned, about 8-9 minutes. Using a large spatula, carefully the fish. Continue cooking until crisp and browned and just done, about 7 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.
- While your fish is cooking work on all your other toppings. Slice your avocado, wash your cilantro, and get to work on those green onions. Slice your green onions in half lengthwise and then once the other way. This will make them easier to eat in the taco. Grill/char in a grill pan or cast iron skillet 1-2 minutes per side.
- Spoon the sauce over fish saving the extra for individual tacos. Top with sesame seeds. Break off chunks using fork and knife and assemble fish taco. Top with avocado, crema, cilantro, and grilled green onion.