When the snapper arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. So, when I had a chance to order some frozen red snapper from a special “Gulf of Mexico” seafood box from Sitka Salmon Shares, I jumped at it! When we got home, I found myself wanting more snapper! But snapper isn’t really something you can find easily at a grocery store in Kentucky. We had snapper at a Bahamian fish fry, fried snapper cooked by friends and (of course!) pan-seared snapper. It was my first time eating this tasty fish, and while I’m sure the ocean breeze made the snapper taste even more incredible, I’m also positive that it was, in fact, absolutely delicious. We were HUNGRY.Īnd guys, we ate so much yellowtail snapper and red snapper in the Bahamas! Two years ago, my husband and I had a pretty incredible chance to go to the Bahamas and help volunteer with storm clean-up.Īfter long days of clean-up work and construction, we were hungry. This delicious pan-seared red snapper is made with fish seared in butter and oil, and then served with a lemon and caper pan sauce. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Spoon veggie puree onto serving plates and top with cooked fish.This post contains affiliate links.Transfer veggies to a food processor, along with fresh herbs, then pulse a few times.Cook about 2 minutes on the first side (check to see that the bottom is lightly browned), then flip and cook 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness of your fillets. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper then add to the hot pan.While veggies cool, heat a non-stick skillet to medium/high.When veggies are fork tender, hopefully caramelized, then remove from oven.Check at the half-way point and stir with a spatula to ensure everything is cooking evenly. Place veggies in oven and roast 15-25 minutes.Ensure the veggies are in one layer so they roast vs. Sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper over all veggies, then mix with your hands to incorporate. Chop veggies into 2-3' pieces and add to a large rimmed baking sheet.But I’m certainly glad there are organizations watching viability of our precious resources, even though it may mean I can’t easily access some of my favorite fish 🙂 If you’d like to learn more about the history of Red Snapper management, check out this comprehensive article on the NOAA site.

While healthy, it’s still at risk because more anglers are seeking them out, using more efficient tools, and they continue to catch a lot of fish. Needless to say, the process doesn’t always please everyone.īecause of careful management, the Red Snapper population has gotten stronger and, in late 2017, it was removed from ‘overfished’ status to ‘rebuilding’ status, further confirmed in May, 2018. This is a delicate process, one intended to balance demands of consumers with the overall health of the fishery. In 1988, NOAA determined that Red Snapper was being overfished, leading to new rules that limited season dates, number of fish to harvest, number of commercial licenses issued, and more. To watch overall health of our fishery, folks at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gather data about volume of fish harvested, then make assessments about how safely a species can be removed without causing significant decline or non-viability, long term (i.e., sustainability). As an expected consequence, over many years of recreational and commercial efforts, the Red Snapper population, among other species, has declined. When I first learned of the season dates, my first thought was “Arghhhhh!,” but then I remembered WHY those harvesting dates are periodically limited.įolks have been harvesting Red Snapper from the Gulf since the 1800s, but volume exponentially rose after WWII when recreational anglers were able to get further offshore in fiberglass boats outfitted with better motors and navigational tools. The fish offers a mild, flaky, slightly sweet, bright white fillet - perfect for many kitchen preparations - and because it’s SO delicious, it’s an in-demand fish, one that both commercial and recreational anglers seek. Gulf Red Snapper season is open June 11 to July 20 – not a long time, especially for those who love this crimson-colored beauty.

Baked red snapper