My Blackened Red Snapper with fresh fruit salsa and lime margarita sauce will simply blow you away! The big, bold flavors of the cajun seasoning, tempered with the fruit salsa and margarita sauce, make this restaurant-quality dish a culinary masterpiece!
If you’re looking for a red snapper recipe that’s easy to make and will seriously impress your friends and family,
During my restaurant days, blackening fish like Red Snapper was a favorite of my guests. Adding my Lime Margarita Sauce made it even more delicious.
Ingredients to make Blackened Red Snapper
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Cajun Style Florida Snapper. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What other types of fish can I use for this dish?
If you don’t like snapper or simply can’t find it at your grocery store, there are many types of fish you can use instead of snapper.
- Grouper
- Rockfish
- Mahi-Mahi
- Halibut
you can always use your personal favorite if it’s not listed, but I would stay away from steak-style fish, such as tuna and swordfish. Tilapia and Flounder would work, but the white fish fillets are more delicate, and they would have a tendency to break apart.
How to make Blackened Red Snapper
- Trim the snapper fillets if needed, and rinse them in cold water. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels.
- Mix the Cajun seasoning with cracker meal and brown sugar.
- Press one side of the snapper fillets into the seasoning mixture, coating the fillet evenly. Make sure you get enough of the spice mixture on the snapper.
- High heat is necessary to properly blacken the snapper. When the saute pan is hot and add just enough olive oil to keep the snapper from sticking.
- Carefully place fish fillets, seasoned side down, into the pan.
- Allow the fillets to cook undisturbed until the coating has browned, then turn to sear the other side of the fish.
Remove the seared snapper from the pan and place it in a baking dish. Add a little water to the pan to help keep the fish moist while baking.
Place the baking dish in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
How to make fruit salsa.
Making the fruit salsa is really easy. Mix the diced fruit, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt together. (strawberries will soften and bleed, so if you make this ahead of time, don’t add the strawberries until serving time)
What kind of fruit can I use to make fruit salsa?
The salsa recipe can be made with a variety of fruit. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, watermelon, kiwi, and blueberries can be substituted in any combination you like.
Onions do add that salsa flavor, as well as the cilantro, but both of those could be left out if you can eat them.
Remember this is your dinner and should be made the way you like to eat!
How to make lime margarita sauce
- In a small saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter, and after it melts, add the brown sugar and blend well.
- Add the lime juice and tequila, and allow the alcohol in the tequila to burn off. Add in the last tablespoon of butter and allow the mixture to thicken.
**Do not overheat the sauce will break. Wait until you are ready to serve the snapper before the final heating of the margarita sauce.
Do I have to use Tequila in the sauce?
No, you don’t. If you can’t have alcohol or don’t like the taste, you can replace the tequila with apple juice, chicken or vegetable stock, or water.
If you don’t like tequila, you can replace it with rum, gin, white wine or your favorite spirit.
Then it is simply a matter of putting the dish all together and serving it with rice or your favorite grain along with the vegetable of your choice. And you’ve got a restaurant-style dinner at a fraction of the cost of dining out!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Pan Seared Halibut
- How to Poach Mahi-Mahi (or your favorite fish)
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Blackened Red Snapper
Ingredients
Cajun Style Red Snapper
- 2 tablespoons Cajun Style Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned cracker meal
- 16 ounce snapper fillets 2 -8 ounce fillets
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
Lime Margarita Sauce
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- juice from one lime
- 1 ounce tequila
Fruit Salsa
- 2 ounces diced mango peaches or cantaloupe can be substituted
- 2 ounces diced Pineapple
- 2 ounces diced Strawberries
- 2 ounces diced red onions
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- pinch of sea salt
- juice from one lime
Instructions
Snapper
- Remove the skin and trim snapper fillets and rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels
- Mix Cajun seasoning with cracker meal and brown sugar. Place on a plate to coat the snapper.
- Press one side of snapper fillets into seasoning mixture coating it evenly
- In a very hot saute pan carefully add just enough olive oil to keep fish from sticking.
- Carefully add the prepared snapper fillets, seasoned side down into the pan
- Allow the snapper fillets to cook undisturbed until the coating has browned, then turn to sear the other side of the fish.
- Remove fillets from the pan, and place in baking dish seasoned side up, and add a little water to the pan
- Place baking dish in preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes
Fruit Salsa
- mix diced fruit, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt together. (strawberries will soften and bleed, so if you make this ahead of time, don't add the strawberries until serving time)
Lime Margarita Sauce
- In a small saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and after it melts, add in brown sugar and blend well.
- Add in the lime juice and tequila, allow the alcohol in the tequila to burn off. Add in the last tablespoon of butter and allow the mixture to thicken.
- **Do not overheat the sauce will break, wait until you are ready to serve the snapper before the final heating of the margarita sauce
Wynnie P. says
Made last night , we called it our “island theme dinner”. And all I can say is OMG! It was light airy and delicious to say the least. Recipe was easy to follow and a qiuick and simple dish. Wonderful!!!!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You just made my day Wynnie!
The Global Gypsies says
I am going to use the Fruit salsa as a side with some of the vegetarian recipes. It looks delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley says
thank you, it is a nice addition to many dishes!
Ricci says
You had me at cajun! LOL!! I need to try this recipe, I need some good fish recipes in my life!
Farrah Less says
This looks so good very much of Florida. It reminds me of our recent dine in experience oat Miami and Key West. I will surely try this recipe and it on my menu list for next week.
Alyssa says
wow! the flavors in this sounds absolutely fantastic. Lime Margarita?!?! yum! I definitely want to try this.
Gladys Nava says
I bet that this food is so so delicious! I love the sauce that has creaminess looking and this is tempting!
J says
How can you tell when the alcohol has cooked off in the sauce?
Chef Dennis Littley says
it only takes about 10-15 seconds. In the restaurant we would ignite the alcohol and when it stopped burning it was cooked off.
Heather says
I don’t tend to eat a lot of cajun spiced foods, but I love snapper! I may have to try this one for myself.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
I am always looking for ways to prepare fish in fun, new ways. This lime margarita sauce sounds awesome.
GiGi Eats says
Fish is my jam, as you probably know, so I am intrigued by this recipe FOR SURE!!! Sounds just so fresh!
Melissa Chapman says
Your fish looks amazing and although you show us how it is done I don’t think i can get mine so moist and crispy looking. I love a good piece of fish for a family dinner.
Sarah Bailey says
OK now this sounds like a delicious meal. I am 100% up for giving this a go. What a mix of different ingredients to come up with something so tasty!
Tasheena says
My spouse is a huge fan of snapper. He would love this recipe. I can’t wait to make this for my family.
candy says
Now this cajun snapper dish looks really good. Love how you spiced it up by going cajun. Simple and so healthy of a meal.
Jeanette says
OK I am pretty sure that I can eat all of this over and over and over again. I love all the seasoning you put on this. The pictures alone make me wish I had it right now.
Melissa says
What time should I be over for dinner? Seriously, this Cajun style Florida snapper is to die for! Gotta make your recipe Chef Dennis!