The crunchy sweetness of the pecans with that moist sweet nutty red snapper .....sigh. Then add it a few jumbo shrimp to make it extra special and my famous margarita sauce and you've got a restaurant-style dish for a fraction of the cost of going out to dinner!
Living in Florida, surrounded by water we have a delicious supply of fresh seafood. That being said fresh is not always the most economical way to purchase our favorites like Red Snapper, and that’s when I turn to sustainable wild-caught seafood.
Now you may think that’s all you need to look for, but you’d be wrong. Wild Caught has become the new buzzword for seafood and it’s not just about being wild-caught, its where the seafood came from, or who has processed the seafood.
Make sure to turn over the package to see if your wild-caught Alaskan fish was processed in the US or another part of the world, like China. Check to see if that beautiful wild-caught flounder came from the eastern seaboard of the US or Vietnam.
I bet you thought didn’t have to worry about the source, did you? That you could trust your favorite grocery store or big box store.
Just make sure to find a good source for seafood, that it’s not farmed (unless it’s US farmed) and it comes from reputable waters, where there are strict controls.
Let’s start by gathering our ingredients together for this Restaurant Style Dish. In chef speak this is called the mise en place.
This is how the fish should look after the saute pan before going into the oven.
The only real tricky part to the dish is getting the pecan mixture to stick to the fish. I found that adding the honey directly from the bottle (a little on each) and spreading it with your fingers is the best way to get the honey on in its thickened state, which allows for maximum coverage of the pecan crust.
Then it’s pecan side down into a hot pan (with a little olive oil) for about 1 minute or just long enough to get some color. Sear the other side briefly, then onto a baking dish with a little water added to keep the Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper moist while it bakes for 10 minutes and you’re done. Except for the lime margarita sauce, that is.
The sauce is pretty easy to make, just make sure to stand clear if you decide to light up the tequila, it does burn pretty hot. Of course, you can just let it burn off without flaming, which is a lot safer.
If you want to kick the dish up a bit, add a few gulf shrimp into the pan before you make your sauce, removing them after they are almost cooked. Once the shrimp are cooked you can make your sauce in the same pan, adding them back before serving the snapper.
You’ll love serving this delicious restaurant-style dish in your own home and its a great dish for a dinner party. The red snapper can be prepared ahead of time (up to the point of baking) and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve your guests. Then it’s about 20 minutes in a 325-degree oven and you’re ready to serve dinner.
You might also like these fish recipes:
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Ginger Garlic Pan Roasted Swordfish
- How to Poach Mahi-Mahi (or your favorite fish)
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz snapper fillets 2 fillets
- 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp honey
Lime Margarita Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- juice from one lime
- 1 ounce tequila
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
Snapper
- Finely chop the pecan and mix with bread crumbs and Cajun seasoning.
- Spoon or squeeze on a teaspoon of honey onto each fillet, and use your fingers to spread it over the top of each fillet.
- Press the honey side of the fish into the pecan mixture, make sure that a good layer of the pecan mixture adheres to the snapper.
- Heat a saute pan (allow it to get hot before adding the olive oil), add 2 tbsp of olive oil and gently place the snapper, pecan side down in the hot pan.
- Allow the snapper to brown for just about 1 minute, be careful not to let it burn, the honey will caramelize quickly.
- Very Gently use a long metal spatula to turn the snapper over, keeping the topping in place. Cook on this side of the snapper for another minute to sear it when removing from the pan if any of the pecans fell off replace them in the spots that need them.
- Place in a baking dish with a little water and continue to cook in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Margarita Sauce
- in a small saute pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and after it melts, add in brown sugar and blend well.
- Add in lime juice and tequila, allow the alcohol in the tequila to burn off.
- Add in the last tbsp of butter and allow the mixture to thicken.
- Do not overheat the sauce or it will break, wait until you are ready to serve the snapper before the final heating of the margarita sauce
Notes
Nutrition
Ralph Hartsock says
I adapted the recipe to my modified Atkins way of eating, in which I try to limit my carb intake to 40 net carbs or less. I tried of Stevia on the corner. Maybe this is a solution for diabetics. My primary physian recommends grilled snapper, other fish, shrimp, and crab, along with pecans, almonds, and other high fiber nuts.
Honey, regular sugar, and cow’s milk are on the No list.
But the adapted recipe is worth repeating. Thanks.
Ralph Hartsock says
I later noticed in my cupboard was Maple Grove Farms Vermont Sugar Free Syrup, which would have the same adhesive effect as the Honey, without the sugars. That will make the recipe a winner for me.
Trish says
Question: recipe calls for two tablespoons honey but instructions say rub a teaspoon each on the filets. I can guess with the homey but the Cajun seasoning calls for a tablespoon and when I made this before it was very spicy…so perhaps the Cajun seasoning is a teaspoon rather than tablespoon?
Chef Dennis Littley says
thanks for the heads up, I changed the seasoning to 1-2 teaspoons
Marg says
Caught a boatload of red snapper off of Islamorada last week. Cooked up some using this recipe last night. Super easy and so delicious! Cooking in the oven in a bit of water after searing made it very moist. Will use this recipe again and will follow you for others! Thanks!!
Gale wismiller says
I served this the last 2 nights at the restaurant where I’m head chef !!! Rave reviews!! Will definitely serve this again
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you so much for letting me know and for the great review Gale! It was one of the favorites at my restaurant too!
Frank Nuckols says
Great dish , super easy! My family really enjoyed it, teenage daughter described it as “refreshing “.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thats what I like to hear Frank. Thanks for the great review and taking the time to leave a comment!
Sherie Robins says
We have some red snapper waiting for me to do something creative with, and I just couldn’t think of anything special until I happened upon your recipe. This one is a keeper. The Margarita sauce and that hint of honey with the pecans are what elevate this dish. A mix of fantastic flavors. When they say “umami,” your recipe checks all of the boxes. And I’ve found a new chef to follow.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Sherie! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Michael Quick says
Chef Dennis, I stumbled upon your recipe when searching for a crusted recipe to go with my red snapper. Yours did not disappoint! The honey I think was key to this recipe. I’ve never used that when crusting a fish! I had some local honey that tasted wonderful with the pecans. I did add a little fresh grated Parmesan to the panko and pecans. I also was able to get some fresh NC shrimp and I cooked them in the margarita sauce. Beautiful with a glass of Italian white wine! Thank you so much!
P.S I don’t ever review recipes but it was so good I wanted to give you you props!
Mike from the Crystal Coast
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and review Michael. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe and the honey is the big difference in the recipe.
Hope you find more of my recipes to enjoy!
Melissa Torres says
YUM. In MN we don’t have a lot of great seafood however, when you cook what you do have in amazing flavors, it’s delicious. This looks wonderful – can’t wait to try it!
chels says
I LOVE crusted fish, but I’ve never cooked Red Snapper. I need to expand my horizons!
Thành Đạt says
I hate to eat fish, except for the snapper. But i have never been to florida. It’s great to have a chance to come there and try this recipe. Thanks for sharing ^^
Abbi Cain says
Wow! This looks incredible! I love fish but am not always brave enough to cook it myself. 🙂
Cassie says
Oh my goodness, it’s 10 am and now I’m getting hungry. This looks and sounds amazing. I appreciate your detailed instruction.
Chelf says
Hi chef! This looks delicious!Pecans elevate everything right? We are having falafel bowls tonight!
Maysz says
Wow! this Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper. Looks yum I love shrimp though. I i\\’ll try to cook this one!
Stephanie says
This is such a Florida recipe! I need to make it next time I am there, I know my dad would love this, too.
Jennifer says
I’m not a fan of pecans but I’ll definitely think about using it now thanks to this recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Nicole says
Oh my goodness, that pecan crust looks absolutely delicious. I’m not a very adventurous cook but perhaps I can talk my husband into making this one for me!
Angela Tolsma says
I am very jealous of your access to fresh seafood. Moving to a landlocked state has made it difficult to get good seafood. This sounds so delicious a pecan crust would be awesome!
Christa says
Pecans ade one of those ingredients i love but don’t use often enough. That’s gotta change!
Kate Loves Travel says
This looks so good! I have to be honest though, I’ve never eaten red snapper… I must give it a try!
M. Blair says
We just returned from a fishing trip in Florida with some red snapper. We’re going to try this out today. Sounds delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!
Tami Stout says
I like your “soapbox”! I never purchase farm raised fish. Fresh caught only! Cannot wait to try this recipe!
We visit Key Colony Beach in the Marathon area of the Florida Keys a few times a year. I eat AS MUCH FRESH FISH AS POSSIBLE while I’m there! We just had to empty part of our damaged condo last week. The devastation is unbelievable. My prayers are with the residents and small business owners! God bless you all!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Tami. The folks in the Keys are resilient and I know Florida will do everything they can to get them back on their feet.
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
It looks gorgeous before and after! And soapbox very appreciated, it’s important to know where our food comes from and how it is sourced!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Mary and thanks for stopping by!
Tes says
Such a beautiful fresh snapper! I wish I can get gorgeous produce like that where I live. The lime margarita sauce sounds so fresh and delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Tes, it was a delicious dish!
Larry says
Looks really good Chef and we have a piece of snapper in the fridge if I can find it.
Chef Dennis Littley says
thanks Larry! It’s another delicious way to prepare snapper!
Bret R says
Just cooked it tonight after catching a few monster red snapper. I will say the absolute best fish I have ever eaten. Thank you!!!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe! Hope you find more on my blog to try.