Coconut Snapper with Lime Cilantro Butter

I’ll just say it.  I LOVE Snapper!  And I especially love the Queen Snapper my hubby brought home from a recent Gulf of Mexico offshore trip.  Aside from being especially delicious, Queen Snapper is a gorgeous fish — bright red (almost candy apple), with a deep forked tail and huge eyes.  It’s a deep water fish, usually hanging out around rocky reefs and, since it’s a tough fighter, it’ll make you work for every inch of line you gain all the way up to the surface.  I’ve caught one before (no pic, unfortunately), and I recall being particularly exhausted after getting her to the boat.  Needless to say, a cool beverage was in order after that 🙂

Here’s a pic of hubby with our friend Jim — two very happy anglers.

Queen Snapper’s flesh is mild, delicate, white and flaky — everything Snapper should be.  So, armed with two beautiful fillets, I decided to prepare it in a crunchy coating of coconut and Panko, then zing it up a bit with the lime and cilantro I had in the fridge.  The coconut adds a light sweetness, which is offset by the tanginess of the lime and the freshness of the cilantro. This is a simple recipe in which you can use just about any white, flaky fish.  Enjoy — hubby and I surely did!

Coconut Snapper with Lime Cilantro Butter

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: My Delicious Blog

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 (6-8 oz.) Snapper fillets, cleaned, skinned & deboned
• ¼ c. all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
• ¼ c. Panko bread flakes
• ¼ c. shredded coconut
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tb. unsalted butter
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
• 2-3 Tb. shaved coconut, toasted, for garnish

For the Lime-Cilantro Butter

• 3 Tb. unsalted butter
• 1 Lime, zested
• 1 Tb. cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Set up 3 dishes for dredging (1 for flour, 1 for beaten egg, 1 for Panko & coconut).
3. Heat an oven safe, non-stick pan on medium/high; add butter and olive oil.
4. Dredge fish in flour, then egg, then Panko/coconut mixture.
5. Place fish in hot pan; cook about 1 minute, then check bottom to ensure brownness. When brown, flip each fillet and allow to cook about 1 more minute (until browned).
6. Place pan in oven; allow to cook another 1-2 minutes (don't overcook or the fish will be dry!).
7. While in the oven, prepare the Lime-Cilantro topping by melting butter in a small sauce pan, then mixing in lime zest and cilantro. Remove from heat.
8. Remove fish from oven & transfer to plates; spoon butter mixture over fish, then top with cilantro and toasted coconut.

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