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By Beckie Hemmerling · Zero AI content
You are here: Home » Gluten Free

Spiciness: Mild

Mediterranean Baked Whole Red Snapper

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This Mediterranean style baked whole red snapper recipe is cooked en Papillote (wrapped up with foil or parchment) with olives, bell peppers, capers, lemon, and fresh herbs.

Wrap whole red snapper up "en Papillote" and bake in the oven at 425F for ~ 25 minutes.

Cooked Red Snapper with red peppers and sliced olives on a white plate with sliced lemon wedges on top and a parsley garnish. this …
All dressed up and ready to eat.

Whole Red Snapper en Papillote

En Papillote means that the food is wrapped in parchment paper, aluminum foil, or banana leaves.

In this case, whole red snapper is baked (or grilled) enclosed in a packet. This traps most of the heat inside and cooks the whole snapper by steaming it.

Raw Red Snapper laying on aluminum foil with chopped red peppers and sliced olives.
Getting ready to make small slices along the body to wedge the sliced lemons in.

How To Wrap up Whole Red Snapper

Don't want to wrap the whole red snapper up in parchment paper or aluminum foil?  Or don't know how?

It's is easier to bake whole red snapper in aluminum foil if parchment paper is above your skill level. I suggest using aluminum foil and just pinching it together.

Otherwise, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the whole fish and ingredients directly on it and bake covered.

Red Snapper with slices in the whole fish and hands putting lemon slices into the fish.
Stuff the lemons in the slices.

Whole Red Snapper Recipe Variations

Whole red snapper recipes can be endlessly varied based on what you have or like. The cooking method remains the same for fish en papillote.

  • Don't like or have capers or chives? Leave 'em out.
  • Want some more spice? Add curry, chili powder, old bay, etc...
  • Try another whole fish with the same recipe. This recipe will work with whole flakey white fish like sea bass, flounder, branzino, etc...
Cooked Red Snapper with red peppers and sliced olives on a white plate with sliced lemon wedges on top and a parsley garnish.
All dressed up and ready to eat.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this baked whole red snapper with a complementary dish like:

  • 1 plates of iceberg wedge lettuce (2 wedges on each plate) topped with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and salami in a vinaigrette.
    Italian Antipasto Salad with Iceberg Lettuce
  • Top view of a white plate with fork with quartered figs, sliced salami, shaved parmesan and croutons.
    Fig and Salami Panzanella Salad with Parmesan
  • 2 bowls of orzo pasta in a green herb sauce with diced cucumbers, red onions, and green onions. One bowl has shredded parmesan and a spoon. Side view.
    Lemon Dill Orzo Salad with Feta
  • Roasted sliced eggplant and red peppers over creamy polenta with fresh cherry tomatoes and garnished with feta and basil
    Roasted Eggplant & Peppers w Polenta
Red snapper on a plate with all the flesh eaten, exposing the bones / skeleton, head, and tail.
Bag o' bones.
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Baked Mediterranean Whole Red Snapper en Papillote

Cooked Red Snapper with red peppers and sliced olives on a white plate with sliced lemon wedges on top and a parsley garnish.
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EatSimpleFood.com

This Mediterranean style whole red snapper recipe is baked with olives, peppers, capers, lemon, and herbs. Wrap whole red snapper up "en Papillote" and bake in the oven at 425F for around 25 minutes.

  • Author: beckie
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: International
  • Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Fat, Low-Carb, Paleo, Pescatarian, Whole30

Ingredients

  • 1 whole red snapper fish (~2 lbs), gutted/gilled, scaled
  • 2 teaspoon unsalted butter, diced
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 6 sprigs parsley
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup red peppers, diced
  • ¾ cup mixed olives
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoon capers, drained
  • 2 tablespoon e.v. olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon chives, sliced - as garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F.  Lay out a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper (large enough to wrap up the entire fish en papillote (like a package).
  • Place fish on a large plate.  Into the slit at the bottom of the fish add butter, thyme, and parsley.
  • Lightly olive oil, salt, and pepper red snapper on both sides.
  • Make 5 slits down one side of the fish and and add 5 thinly sliced lemon pieces into the slit (see picture above).
  • In a bowl mix: peppers, olives, garlic, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lemon juice.  Lay this mixture on aluminum foil and lay fish on top of it.
  • Wrap it up in aluminum foil like a present and put it in the oven for ~25 minutes or until fish is flaky.  Be careful opening up the aluminum foil - you don't need a steam burn!
  • Top with fresh sliced chives.  Happy Eating - watch out for any fish bones!  Beckie

You May Also Like

Like this whole red snapper recipe? Check out these other seafood recipes:

  • Close Up of Seared Amberjack Fish On A white plate on a bed of white pole beans.
    Lemon Butter Amberjack Fish
  • Baked Amberjack White Fish with Thyme Laying On a Green Banana Leaf On A Wood Plate
    Amberjack en Papillote
  • Whole Fish on a platter sitting on white rice and green beans. Topped with Orange sauce and garnished with sliced green onions.
    Orange, Ginger, and Soy Sauce Sea Bass
  • Seared piece of white fish and a bed of romaine lettuce with chunked yellow tomato and sliced basil salsa. White plate with knife and fork on the side.
    Pan Seared Grouper with Tomato Basil Salsa

More Gluten Free Recipes

  • Top view of crispy browned bone in, skin on chicken thighs on a white plate on a white table.
    Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs (Bone In)
  • Blue bowl of blended tan pinto bean hummus on a wood cutting board with a lemon half and spoon in the background.
    Easy Creamy Pinto Bean Hummus
  • Top view of a small white bowl of ceviche (diced white fish, red onions, yellow and red peppers, lime juice, and cilantro) with 3 crackers sticking out of bowl.
    Amberjack Ceviche
  • Mason quart jar filled with whole okra and sliced red peppers.
    Quick Pickled Refrigerator Okra

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Hey y'all!

I’m Beckie Hemmerling. I love food and glorify it sometimes but also think of it on a basic level of providing strength & nourishment. Cooking has helped me *try* to figure out life, not just my own, but also other peoples. I have cooked through many joys / sorrows and cooking has always been a meditative place through these highs & lows. As a professional cook, I have been a “food therapist” to each one of my clients. My clients keep me on my toes and contribute to my personal & professional growth more than words can say…. More background info →

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