Whole Baked Fish - Snapper with Salsa Verde

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This whole baked snapper with salsa verde is a simple yet impressive seafood recipe that’s perfect for when entertaining!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan.
Slash flesh: Cut 3 slashes on each side of the fish, cutting through flesh down to the bone.
Stuff fish: Sprinkle a bit of salt inside the cavity of the fish. Stuff the cavity with parsley and dill. Layer lemon slices on top of herbs.
Season skin: Sprinkle a very generous amount of salt on the skin (both sides), including a bit on the head of the fish. Then drizzle with the olive oil. Rub all over the fish, including in the slashes.
Bake: Place fish onto a baking tray and baking for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F. You can also use a small knife at one of the cut slits in the fish to prise a bit of meat gently away from the spine. If it flakes away from the bone without resistance, it's done.
Rest: Remove the fish from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve: Carefully transfer the fish to a platter and drizzle the salsa verde all over. Squeeze a little extra lemon all over and enjoy!

Garlic Paste: Place the garlic and the salt into a mortar and pestle. Grind until a paste-like texture forms.
Anchovies & capers: Add the anchovies and grind them into the garlic paste. Add the capers and pound until they are slightly broken down. Add the parsley and mix them through.
Olive oil & lemon: Pour the olive oil and lemon juice into the mortar and pestle and gently mix through until all the ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Whole snapper – Look for a fresh, whole fish that has bright, clear eyes, shiny skin and smells clean like the ocean (not fishy). Ask your fishmonger to gut, scale and clean the fish, and if you like, they can also score the sides for you so it cooks evenly and absorbs more flavour
Other fish options – This recipe works beautifully with other whole fish like barramundi, sea bass, branzino or bream. Just choose a similar sized fish so the cooking time stays roughly the same.
Cooking time for whole fish – 15 minutes is for 700g individual fish (any number). Larger fish will take longer to cook, and different shaped fish can take slightly different cooking times. It is not an exact science, so start checking your fish at the 12 minute mark and every few minutes from there.