A garlicky marinade forms a crust as the fish cooks, adding flavor and keeping the snapper moist and tender, and a pickled tangle of thinly sliced chiles, carrot, and onion—makes a punchy, crunchy topping for crispy fried whole snapper.
Ingredients
Pickled Vegetables
-
2 medium-size yellow onions, thinly sliced
-
2 large carrots, cut into thin strips
-
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
-
5 large garlic cloves, minced
-
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
-
1 fresh Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, unseeded, and thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
-
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
-
2 teaspoons ground allspice
-
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fish
-
1 cup canola oil, plus more for frying
-
20 large garlic cloves
-
2 tablespoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)
-
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
-
1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
-
2 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) whole red snapper, scaled and gutted
-
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Description
Make the Pickled Vegetables
Combine onions, carrots, vinegar, garlic, ginger, chile, lime juice, allspice, and salt in a large bowl; toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours.
Make the Fish
-
Combine oil, garlic, seasoned salt, thyme, and ginger in a blender; process until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, score fish skin in a crosshatch pattern. Rub oil mixture evenly on skin and in cavities of fish. Place fish on a large baking sheet; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours.
-
Fill a large Dutch oven (wide enough to fit 1 whole snapper horizontally) with oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat over medium-high until oil reaches 350°F. Sprinkle fish evenly with kosher salt. Fry fish, 1 at a time, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, carefully turning halfway through cook time. Remove from pot, and transfer to a serving platter. Top with pickled vegetables.
