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Dani Spies is a Certified Health and Nutrition Counselor, Fitness Trainer and Mom who is passionate about finding simple ways to make real, whole, nutrtious foods a part of an everyday kitchen. More about Dani »

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Red Snapper Veracruz

Red Snapper Veracruz
So simple.  So fresh.  So fast. 

Not to mention that this is a great example of how you really don't need a lot of ingredients to make a healthy and d'lishes dinner!

I'd say this description pretty much sums up this recipe for Red Snapper Veracruz!

I'm a big fan of "bottom-of-the-drawer" meals.
  I don't like to waste fresh produce, so usually by the end of the week I am forced to get creative with whatever ingredients are left hanging around the fridge.  In this case, it was a pepper, some cherry tomatoes. and a few scallions!

Now when it comes to fish, I usually travel one of two roads.  It's either I buy fresh fish the day of the meal OR pull some frozen fish out of the freezer.  I always keep some frozen fish in the freezer for a last minute meal.  I have to say, I am often surprised at how good frozen fish can be so if the idea of frozen fish kinda gives you goose bumps, I would encourage you to at least give it a try.  You might just end up like me... surprised BUT very grateful!

As for this meal, I picked up some snapper at the fish store.  Why snapper you ask?  Because it was on sale.  (Which is another good tip when trying to experiment with new ingredients in your kitchen... instead of going to the grocery store with a specific list in mind, try going and buying ingredients that are on sale.  Not only will you save a few bucks, but you will end up trying foods that you may have never thought to buy!)

To make this dish a complete meal, serve along side a fast cooking grain like, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, or some boil-in-a-bag brown rice! 

And then don't try telling me that you don't have time to cook a healthy dinner;).

Red Snapper Veracruz

Ingredients

2-4 oz. fillets of red snapper
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 orange pepper, chopped up
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, chopped

Directions

Mix lemon, garlic and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Place snapper fillets in a shallow baking dish and coat with lemon mixture.

Sprinkle peppers, scallions and tomatoes over top of the snapper.
Season with salt and pepper and cover with some foil.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the fish is white and
flaky.  Enjoy!

Serves 2.

Nutritional Analysis

Calories: 176; Total Fat: 1.5g; Saturated Fat: 0.6g; Cholesterol: 46mg; Sodium: 71mg; Carbohydrate: 12.6g; Dietary Fiber: 2.3g; Sugars: 2.9g; Protein: 25.2g

Comments

Red snapper is such a treat. I love the fresh preparation!

Katie :

You're awesome, as usual :)

Did I miss something, or have you heard the news yet about The Next Food Network Star?

Phoo-D - It is! And this recipe couldn't be any easier.

Katie - Thanks Katie:). As for the NFNS...not a word!

Mary Jo :


what would be a good alternative to red snapper?

thkz

Mary Jo - You could use any variety of white fish... I would try tilapia, flounder, sole, or even monk fish. Although you may have adjust cooking temps a bit.

EP :

Quick Question from a beginner cook: is the fish frozen or pre-thawed in the fridge for a day before "Place snapper fillets in a shallow baking dish and coat with lemon mixture" - and if frozen would you increase the cooking time at all or keep it at 350F for about 30 minutes whether the fish is frozen or thawed at the start of cook time? THANKS!

EP - When I made the recipe, I used fresh fish BUT if I use frozen, I usually try and pull out of the freezer the morning of or the night before I am going to make it. I've never tried cooking the fish right out of the freezer, but I would guess that you may end up with some excess liquid in the pan. Although maybe it the oven temp is hot enough, the liquid would evaporate a bit (although I still think it would be a bit watery).
If you decide to try it frozen, keep me posted... I'm curious as to how it turns out!!

Love the sound of this one!

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