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Pescado Frito (Fried Red Snapper)
![Pescado Frito (Fried Red Snapper)](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/03/24/dining/22Puertoricanrex2-Pescado/merlin_184863111_18544d19-964f-4900-a5be-b1a63c68f66a-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 2medium garlic cloves, minced
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼teaspoon store-bought or homemade sazón
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 1(1½- to 2-pound) red snapper, cleaned, scaled and gilled
- 1½quarts vegetable oil
- Lime wedges, hot sauce and chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
For the Adobo
For the Fish
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the adobo: Combine all the adobo ingredients and grind them together in a large pilón or mortar and pestle, or simply mix them together in a small bowl.
- Step 2
Prepare the fish: Make three shallow crosswise cuts on both sides of the surface of the fish skin, then place it in a deep container with a lid or a large resealable bag. Pour adobo over, rubbing it into the skin, head and cavity. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. If marinating longer, let the fish come to room temperature 30 minutes before frying.
- Step 3
In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot large enough to submerge your fish, pour in enough oil to reach a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat over high until oil is simmering and reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Step 4
Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
- Step 5
Once the oil comes to temperature, pick the marinated fish up by the tail, shake off excess marinade, and lower it head-first into simmering oil. Use a pair of tongs to gently nudge the fish to prevent it from sticking to the pot. It’ll be very active at first, so have a splatter shield handy, if you’ve got one.
- Step 6
Using a heat-safe ladle, baste any unsubmerged fish with hot oil repeatedly, ensuring fish cooks evenly. Fry until it turns golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes, watching carefully and removing immediately if it starts to get dark.
- Step 7
Using an extra-long fish spatula, or a set of heatproof tongs and a heatproof spatula, carefully lift the fish out of the oil and transfer it to the lined baking sheet.
- Step 8
Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges, hot sauce and cilantro.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I made this yesterday and the fish tastes incredible. It’s a day later and want to have this recipe again for dinner this evening. The NYT recipe makes a lot of sazon. You can quarter the sazon recipe. For 1 fish the recommendation is for .25 of sazon. Also I used ground annatto and the recommended substitute of sweet paprika would just not be the same. And I used a lot of vegetable oil - a lot - almost 3 litres. I made the choice to completely submerge the fish in the oil. It was less fussy.
"It will keep in an air-tight container for years." I thought we'd learned that spices shouldn't be kept "for years." One year at most?, then replace.
Delicious! I made using a skinless cod fillet. I tried shallow frying and roasting it as well. I know I didn't follow the recipe exactly and I hope my variations weren't too sacrilegious, but it was superb. The flavor was excellent and I highly recommend. This will be in heavy rotation at my house
This is really good! Make sure your pan is large enough. Only thing I did was add a splash of Mexican beer.
Excellent flavor and presentation. We ate ours with Spanish rice and crisp-tender broccoli. The fins and tail were crispy and fun to eat, the flesh took on a mild and delicious taste from the marinade. I used whole cumin seeds and they were just the right potency. I will be making this again with fresh red snapper from our local fish shop.
made last evening was delicious
Family loved it! Used fillets and pan fried.
Unbelievably good. Didn’t have vegetable oil so used olive oil. What a treat!
Can't wait to make this. A restaurant here makes this with whole catfish, it is delicious with salt, lime juice, tabasco sauce, and tartar sauce. Served with a baked potato.
"It is, in my opinion, the absolute best way to enjoy a whole fish." I agree wholeheartedly! Loved this!
Incredibly easy and delicious. Served it along side the NYT avocado salad and it was my favorite meal I’ve made in a long time. Keeping this one in rotation.
I made this yesterday and the fish tastes incredible. It’s a day later and want to have this recipe again for dinner this evening. The NYT recipe makes a lot of sazon. You can quarter the sazon recipe. For 1 fish the recommendation is for .25 of sazon. Also I used ground annatto and the recommended substitute of sweet paprika would just not be the same. And I used a lot of vegetable oil - a lot - almost 3 litres. I made the choice to completely submerge the fish in the oil. It was less fussy.
Delicious! I made using a skinless cod fillet. I tried shallow frying and roasting it as well. I know I didn't follow the recipe exactly and I hope my variations weren't too sacrilegious, but it was superb. The flavor was excellent and I highly recommend. This will be in heavy rotation at my house
"It will keep in an air-tight container for years." I thought we'd learned that spices shouldn't be kept "for years." One year at most?, then replace.
I adore snapper but we don't have that in Italy. What could be used as a substitute? Thanks
Black bass, porgy, parago, seabream, any saltwater, white fleshed fish that isn't too large for your pan.
Really, whatever small- to medium-size (one- or two-serving) white fish you find at your fish market works beautifully for this. In New Zealand, we used blue cod; in Seattle, small sea bass.
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