Fairly easy to make CARIBBEAN GRILLED WHOLE RED SNAPPER with a great blend of spice from ground allspice, garlic, ginger, paprika, basil, and thyme. Moist, tender, and oozing with great flavors!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Just two more days and we’re done with July. And can you believe that it’s almost -BER months (errrr…holiday season)?
But before I think about the holidays, let me enjoy to the fullest this grilling season. Grilling can be quite daunting especially when talking about fish with its delicate flesh. Well, fear not!
It’s quite doable and before you know it you are going to be grilling away like a pro. Yes yes yes! You might be asking why grill a whole fish? Cooking a whole fish with the bones, skin and all keeps the fish moist and seals in the flavor especially when you are dealing with red snapper. If you haven’t tried it this way, now is the best time to try this easy grilled recipe.
What is Red Snapper?
Red Snapper fish is one of the most popular among white fish. It can be found from all over the world with most of its harvests coming from the Gulf of Mexico and Indonesia. This kind of fish is known for its firm texture and sweet nutty flavor that complements well from chilies to fresh herbs. No wonder it’s well-loved! You can broil, pan-fry, steam, bake, deep-fry, and grill a red snapper. It also makes a great fish stew, too.
Grilling Red Snapper
Red snapper requires a little extra love to keep it from falling apart on the grill. An easy way to get around it is to use a grill basket or a fish basket as it helps in flipping the fish. I can’t tell you how many fishes I’ve ruined trying to flip without a basket. It is an essential tool, especially for a beginner.
If you want to purchase a grill fish basket they are available at department stores and even some supermarkets, especially this time of the year. Once you get the heat going, it’s a breeze.
Grill about 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the fish. If for some reason the flame flares up, you can just lift the basket and place it aside. So don’t step away. Do not overcook it, it’s notorious for being rubbery when overcooked.
How Do You Know When Red Snapper is Done?
When the fish is white and the juices run clear, then you are set. If unsure, check for doneness by making sure the meat closest to the bone is fully cooked by slashing it with a knife to check. You’ll get the hang of it over time.
Red Snapper Fish Marinade
I know there are numerous ways of making grill fish at home, with each having its own unique taste. Here are a few spices that you can start with: garlic, lemon, thyme, allspice, white pepper, and the rest is up to you. Salt, pepper, and lemon work great too! For a kick, you can also rub it with some hot chili or this homemade African Pepper Sauce HERE.
Be sure to oil the fish and basket before placing it on the grill. While you are at it, throw in some vegetables or plantain. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Grilled Whole Red Snapper?
I’d like to keep this fish dinner simple. So I’m pairing this grilled snapper with grilled plantains and veggies like bell peppers. Or you can try any of these, too.
- Grill Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa
- Kale Salad
- Coconut Rice
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Greek Salad
More Grilled Seafood Recipes
Love more scrumptious grilled seafood? I’ve got other recipes for you to explore.
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How To Grill Red Snapper
Make three-four diagonal cuts in each side of the fish, all the way right through the bone. Season fish with salt, pepper, and squeeze some lemon over it. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients( white pepper, allspice, minced garlic, ginger, paprika, thyme, basil, parsley, chicken bouillon, and oil ) to make the marinade for fish.
Pour the marinade over the fish, and gently flip them back and forth until coated inside and out. Let it marinate in the fridge for up to 24hours. Preheat to high heat. When you are ready to grill, wipe down the grill basket with an oil towel and them immediately lay the fish down in the fish casket. Let them grill for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Reduce to medium-high, and then cover the grill if you have a gas grill.
If you are using a small bbq grill, leave the fish on the open grill or hot charcoal. Baste with the fish marinate. Let the fish cook for a total of 3-4 minutes on each side, you may have to add a minute on two depending on the thickness of your fish until cooked – when fish is white and the juices must run clear. Check for doneness by making sure the meat closest to the bone is fully cooked – slash with a knife to check. Serve with this pepper sauce and grill vegetables or plantains.
This recipe was first published in July 2015 and has been updated with an additional writeup and some notes.
Caribbean Grilled Whole Red Snapper
Ingredients
- 1- 2 whole red snapper , about 1- 1 1/2 pound each
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 fresh lemons
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 Tablespoon garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger , minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons thyme , finely chopped
- ½ cup basil , or parsley coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon or more chicken bouillon , optional
- cooking oil , about ¼ cup or more to mix
- grilled plantains and/or vegetables , side dish
Instructions
- Make three–four diagonal cuts in each side of the fish, all the way right through the bone. Season fish with salt, pepper, and squeeze some lemon over it. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients (white pepper, allspice, minced garlic, ginger, paprika, thyme, basil or parsley, chicken bouillon, and oil ) to make the marinade for fish.
- Pour the marinade over the fish, and gently flip them back and forth until coated inside and out. Let it marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Grilling the Fish
- Preheat to high heat.
- When you are ready to grill, wipe down the grill basket with oil and then immediately lay the fish down in the fish casket. Let them grill for about 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Reduce to medium-high, and then cover the grill if you have a gas grill.
- If you are using a small bbq grill, leave the fish on the open grill or hot charcoal.
- Baste with the fish marinade.
- Let the fish cook for a total of 3-4 minutes on each side, you may have to add a minute or two depending on the thickness of your fish until cooked – when fish is white and the juices must run clear.
- Check for doneness by making sure the meat closest to the bone is fully cooked – slash with a knife to check.
- Serve with this Caribbean Pepper Sauce and grill vegetables or plantains, if desired.
Grilled Plantains
- Peel plantains.
- Slice in the middle then cut in halve. Season with salt and brush with the spice mix.
- Grill on each side for about 3 minutes until fully cook through – watch carefully because they burn easily.
Tips & Notes:
- For optimum flavors, use fresh herbs instead of the powdery ones.
- You can broil this marinated fish, too.
- To bake the fish, place the fish on an oiled baking sheet (generously oil to prevent sticking). Then bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes or more – until the fish just flakes. Remove, let it cool and transfer to a plate.
- If pressed for time, you can marinate the fish for at least 30 minutes. That would work.
- You can grill the fish directly over the coals or by an indirect method, however, for first-timers, I highly recommend grilling this fish using a fish basket as it is easy to flip around without it falling apart.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Crystal says
I bought a fish basket just to try this scrumptious looking recipe!
I don’t have lemons but would limes work?
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Crystal! Yes, lime works, too 🙂 Enjoy!
Val says
Delicious not spicy at all tender per the instructions to grill approx 6 min total in a basket worked great. Very nice flavor just needed a little more salt and a touch more lemon. Will make again
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for sharing, Val! 🙂
Rodney says
A little too hot got me. Good texture and came out perfect. But I can’t take that much spice. Lips still burnin.
Immaculate Bites says
Thanks for trying this, Rodney! For next time, you can adjust the spices so it won’t be too hot 🙂
Arthur Williams says
Hey Imma. This recipe looks awesome and I plan to try it out on my family lakehouse trip coming up. Couple of questions. I’ve done a few whole fish on the grill already but did not have a grill basket. Is this completely necessary, or moreso because the recipe calls for 3 inch slits. Usually the fish come cleaned and you stuff it with lemon etc. and seasonings. Would you suggest putting the same seasonings in the cut part of the bottom of the fish where it was cleaned? Sorry for all the questions. Just don’t have the luxury of it not being good with so many people to eat it lol. Thanks for the help.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Arthur ,
A grill basket is not necessary, if you have grilled fish before without it falling apart – it keeps the fish from sticking to the grill and helps when turning it over.
Yes you may season the bottom part of the fish too. For best flavor , season fish the night before cooking and let it marinate .
Hope this helps !
jarrod says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Absolutely amazing.
Wendy says
Hola Imma; En castellano (español) éste pescado se llama Pargo , es difÃcil de encontrar, pero se me hace agua la boca mirando las fotos, asÃ, es que, intentaré encontrarlo ésta semana. Es exquisito y muy nutritivo porque es de los llamados azules. Sabias que es carnÃvoro?. Desde luego es una receta de 10. CuÃdate mucho. Besitos
Michelle says
The protein amount says 124g for one snapper…is the correct?
Monica says
Absolutely delicious!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome. Glad you loved it, Monica!
Dan Alvarez says
Gave this recipe a try today, and WOW! Wife and I truly enjoyed it. Thought we were gonna have left overs and surely enough a whole 28 incher was gone! Amazing taste and will definitely be grilling like this again!
ImmaculateBites says
YAY! Glad to hear it worked out well.
Dennis says
Awesome recipe!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Denis! Glad you loved it :)!
Christine says
Absolutely delicious!
Effie says
Love your site. More videos please.
So, I don’t have the fresh herbs in the house but have the powdery and dry stuff. Can I still use them to marinate the fish and get all the flavor? Also can I do this under the boiler in the oven? My grill just went south.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Effie.
Fresh herbs works best for optimum flavor. Sorry to hear about your grill. No worries under the broiler works just fine.
Patriece says
I bought a grill basket just to try out this recipe. I have to say I was not disappointed. This was one of the most flavorful Snappers that I ever had! The recipe was extremely easy and it took a short time to grill. It was a hit! will be making this again for Father’s Day! Thanks so much!
imma africanbites says
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Patriece. Good to know you like it. Happy weekend!
Jackie says
Hello Patriece,
What type of grill basket did you use?
Thank you,
Patriece says
I ordered a barbecue grill basket with a handle from Amazon.com. They are very reasonably priced, with some starting below $20. They close easily and the handles stay cool. I hope this helps!
Mary K says
This was absolutely mouth wateringly delicious. I didn’t have time to do a full marinade, was compressed for time, but it was excellent. I can’t even begin to imagine what this would taste like if it were able to marinate the full time. It would be mind blowing.
Thank you for sharing.
Jaz says
Could this be made in the oven? If so how would I cook it
Nikki says
Made this and we are a family of three. My red snapper was pretty big costing me $40+ dollars, so I was worried I would ruin this and waste my money. But it came out beautifully and the flavor was awesome! We cleaned it to the bones. They are already asking for me to do this dish again. THANK YOU!!
imma africanbites says
So awesome! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Nikki!
Wendi says
I made this for my 4 and half pound snapper. This was so freaking delicious, I got nothing but compliments! I also made the hot pepper sauce to go with it, and all I can say is WOW. I did have to dial down the heat on the pepper sauce by adding an additional mango, but it was super yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
imma africanbites says
You just made this gal here so happy, Wendi! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
steve says
If this fish is cooked on a grill should it be directly over the coals or cooked by indirect method?
ImmaculateBites says
It works both ways . However, for a first timer it’s best to grill using a grill or fish basket. Easier to flip fish around without it falling apart.
Alisha says
I will be marinating my snapper this evening. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!
imma africanbites says
Oooh, I could taste it all the way here, Alisha! Please let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Candis says
Hi! I’m heading to Barbados in a few weeks & I know this a common dish there. I can’t wait to try it but not sure how to go about eating it. Do they take the bones out? Is the skin edible? Help! 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Candis,
Yes you take out the bones and only eat the flesh .Red snapper has a two-dimensional bone structure,
It easily lifts off the bone.
You can Use a knife and fork to lift out the flesh in sections from the flat bone. And the skin is edible – one of favorite parts . Have a Safe Trip!!!!
Donna says
I used this recipe, and it was the best grilled fish! I am in love with the marinade. It was easy.
My fish was to Large for a basket, so I laid lemon slices on the grill and put the fish on them. The tail fell off when I flipped it, but, I was able to get it cooked and flipped without it sticking or falling apart.
It came out perfect! Will definitely use this recipe from now on.
ImmaculateBites says
Yeah! Good to know it worked out so well for you Donna! Thanks for taking the time to let me know .
Nichell Thompson says
Can I just sub a jerk marinade that I purchased ( and been dying to use) on the fish in put in the oven? Or will it overpower it?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Nichell! You sure can. I have used jerk marinade with fish before and it tasted great! Give it a try! . Happy Cooking!!!
Deseree says
Would you recommend using dried basil and parsley for theis recipe? Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can , if fresh is not available
Evo says
High imma
I have been looking at some of your recipes and they are great.
My fiance and I are getting married in UK in July and we want a Caribbean inspired bbq.
Do you have any ideas of what we should have
ImmaculateBites says
Hi! I would go with Jerk Chicken , ribs, Fruity Coleslaw, Rice and Beans, Caribbean Potato salad, plantains , rasta pasta , anything with pineapple .
Frederick says
Wanting to learn how to spice up my food using Caribbean, African and Southern recipes. Will continue to read your post. Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Glad to have you here.
Janice says
I love the way you response to our questions and comments. I can tell from the ingredients and preperation ,this is a great recipe. I will make this.
ImmaculateBites says
Yay!! You are two kind. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Happy Cooking!!!!
Andy Davies says
Wow. I have cooked Red Snapper so may ways, but this was such an awesome flavour and so moist.
My girls loved this 🙂
Thank you!
Andy, Toronto
ImmaculateBites says
My Pleasure Andy! Glad yours girls enjoyed it too!!
Doug says
I use my dinner fork to gently pull the meat from the bones. The tines can slide between the individual bones and a perfect bite slides off the end leaving the ribs intact.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for chiming in Doug.
Bruce says
Will grilling wrapped in aluminum foil work for this recipe?
Bruce says
Cooking in foil made helped seal the moisture of the fish and flavor from the citrus & herbs. Easy recipe to follow with excellent results.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
shy says
hi, what a great recipe. Can you me the best way to remove the fish bones after the fish is cooked?
Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
I usually just do a gentle pull. Nothing special.
ImmaculateBites says
No you do not cut them out. Cook and then remove after cooking.Keeps it really moist
Charlene @ That Girl Cooks Healthy says
Good ole grilled snapper, oh how I long for some, you really know how to tempt me Imma.
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
I LOVE whole fish! Being of Asian background, I grew up eating whole fish. It’s the BEST, just like chicken, so much juicier! The flavours in this are a ripper!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Joan, place the fish on a an oiled baking sheet (generously oil to prevent sticking). Then bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes or more – until the fish just flakes- Remove, let it cool and transfer to a plate.