I LOVE having whole roasted snapper with chimichurri. The two are a match made in heaven! A chimichurri sauce is like a pesto…you take a bunch of fresh greens, and chop them up with some other tasty flavors like garlic and onion. No nuts in this sauce, though! And it is a great way to utilize all the delicious herbs in season.
Whole Roasted Snapper with Chimichurri, Spanish Rice, and Black Beans
I LOVE having whole roasted snapper with chimichurri. The two are a match made in heaven! A chimichurri sauce is like a pesto…you take a bunch of fresh greens, and chop them up with some other tasty flavors like garlic and onion. No nuts in this sauce, though! And it is a great way to utilize all the delicious herbs in season.
Ingredients
Snapper with Chimichurri and Spanish Rice
- 1-2 Whole snapper ~2 lbs., gutted and scaled
- 2 limes
- 1 bunch parsley large stems removed
- 1 bunch cilantro large stems removed
- 5-7 cloves garlic cut in half
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Spanish Rice
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
- 1-2 tsp cumin
- water
Instructions
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Preheat to 390F. If you would like to grill the fish instead of roast, you can skip this step.
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Rinse your rice 3 times. Add it to your pot with the cumin, tomato sauce and fill your tomato sauce can with water and put that in the pot, too. Stir well. Bring to boil. Remove the lid. Stir well again. Lower to simmer, and stir every few minutes so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
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To make the chimichurri, add 2 tbsp lime juice, parsley, cilantro, garlic, white wine vinegar, onion, oregano, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Give your rice a good stir.
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Cut 5 deep slits on each side of the fish. Do not go through the spine or to the other half of the fish. Give your rice a stir.
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Rub a thin layer of olive oil on your baking pan so the fish doesn’t stick. Place the slices of lime inside the fish. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Give your rice a stir. It will be ready when it has absorbed all the liquid.
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Bake for 7-10 minutes per side depending on the size of your fish. I used 1-lb. snappers and cooked them for 7-8 minutes per side. OR grill 7-10 minutes per side. It is ready when you pull on a fin and it comes out easily.
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Skin (or not), and slather with the chimichurri. Make sure you get some chimichurri inside the slits you cut in the fish. Once you filet the fish on one side, the spine comes out easily and the other side is ready to eat!
Though I am not always great about this, I like to be conscious of the benefits of staying away from Salmon, Tuna, Trout, and Cod, the four most fished fish. “”The way we fish for popular seafood such as salmon, tuna and shrimp is threatening to ruin our oceans.”” -Paul Greenberg
Want to give this a try? Check out my lemon pesto trout recipe here. Then, you can try my rosemary garlic trout in the fall…recipe here.
