When it comes to Red Snapper there is no better way to prepare than my restaurant-style Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper. You’ll love the flavor combination and that OMG delicious margarita sauce. What’s for dinner at your house tonight?
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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 U.S. farmed) and it comes from reputable waters, where there are strict controls.
What do I need to make Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper with a Lime Margarita Sauce?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to add shrimp to the Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper?
No, you don’t. The shrimp are optional. You could also add lobster or jumbo lump crabmeat instead of the shrimp.
The first step is preparing the pecan topping for the snapper. Place the prepared ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Do I have to use Pecans in the topping?
No, you don’t. If you have nut allergies feel free to leave the pecans out. If you don’t have pecans, walnuts, pistachio’s or hazelnuts will work with this topping.
The only tricky part in preparing 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 the snapper. This helps you get a nice coating of the pecan crust.
The next step is pressing the honey side of the snapper into the pecan mixture. Try and use up as much of the pecan mixture as you can, adding it to spots that might be missing the topping.
**This step can be done ahead of time. After coating the snapper it can be placed into the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
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 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Chef Dennis Tip:
You can saute the snapper ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready for dinner. Allow an extra 5 minutes in the oven if you premake the snapper.
The Pecan topping fell off my snapper fillets.
That’s okay, it happens. Gather any of the pecan topping that fell off while sauteing and place it back on top of the snapper fillet.
If you have a complete failure with the topping. Make the topping again and saute it by itself in a little butter then add it to the top of the snapper fillets. It will be our little secret.
While the snapper is in the oven, make the margarita sauce.
Should I flambe the Margarita Sauce?
The sauce is pretty easy to make, just make sure to stand clear if you decide to light up the tequila ( I use a long reach butane lighter), it does burn pretty hot. Of course, you can just let it burn off without flaming, which is a lot safer.
Do I have to use Tequila in the Lime Margarita Sauce?
No, you don’t. Just omit the tequila if you don’t use alcohol. A little extra of each ingredient will help make enough sauce without the tequila.
If you don’t have tequila or just don’t like the taste you can use other spirits. My suggestions would be:
- Rum
- Vodka
- Bourbon
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 it’s 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
- Swordfish Recipe
- How to Poach Mahi-Mahi (or your favorite fish)
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Pecan Encrusted Red Snapper Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz snapper fillets 2 fillets
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
- ¼ cup bread crumbs I used Panko and non-seasoned.
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon honey
Lime Margarita Sauce
- 1½ tablespoon butter
- 1½ tablespoon brown sugar
- juice from one lime
- 1½ ounce tequila
- 1½ tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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
Melanie says
So we went to the beach recently but I did not get to have any fish while I was there. Bummer! I will have to make this recipe to make up for it.
Amber Myers says
I will have to share this post with my mom. She likes having fish for dinner and I bet she’ll enjoy this recipe.
cait says
oh my gosh that sounds so good- were big fans of salmon but never thought to try snapper. ill def try with this pecan encrusted recipe!
melissa chapman says
That snapper looks amazing and the addition of shrimp makes it a masterpiece. My son loves seafood so i have to try and make this for him.
Pam Wattenbarger says
That looks so good! I had pecan-encrusted snapper a couple of weeks ago and can only imagine how good it will be with the addition of the sauce.
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 ^^