Spiced Baked Red Snapper with Vegetable Rice

This Baked Red Snapper recipe is a complete fish dinner that checks all of the boxes. Overflowing with warm, flavorful spices, it's hearty and healthy, comforting, delicious, and it presents beautifully in one pan.

What's better than an absolutely delicious meal that happens to be packed with nutrients? Flavor comes first, with vitamins as a bonus. It's a win-win!

With easy-to-find ingredients, this deliciously spiced Snapper recipe, with a built-in side of vegetable rice, is a delightful cooking experience.

And it gets even better because you can essentially use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand, and even use a different fish if you'd like. Follow my recipe exactly, or use it as a guide.

Ingredient Notes

• Red Snapper - Red Snapper has a mild sweet flavor and its texture, while it does flake apart easily, is somewhat dense. If possible, choose wild-caught Snapper.
• spice rub: ground turmeric, smoked paprika & ground cumin - These are all warming spices and together they're earthy, subtly sweet and create a gorgeous color.
• rice - I use Jasmine rice, and the recipe is timed accordingly. If you use other rices, please be aware that cooking times, and the amount of liquid needed can vary. Brown rice for example takes a much longer time and therefore doesn't work here. (The vegetables will overcook!) Basmati is a great second choice.
• onion - Always try to choose onions that are heavy for their size.
• garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots. Substitution: Shallots.
• fresh turmeric (also called turmeric rhizome) - Turmeric root looks much like ginger root, only it's orange (see image above). It's typically located in the produce department in the same section as the ginger. Choose roots that are firm.
• carrots - For this recipe, I like to use carrots that are on the thinner side, to easily slice smaller pieces.
• broccoli - Choose broccoli with firm stems and tightly closed dark green buds.
• cabbage - Choose heads of cabbage that are heavy with firm outer leaves.

Fresh Turmeric Root vs. Dried Ground Turmeric

• Both fresh and dried turmeric are used in this recipe. The dried, ground turmeric is part of the spice rub for the fish, and the fresh turmeric goes into the sautéed vegetables for the rice.
• You can substitute the ground turmeric in the vegetables (only use 2 teaspoons), but you cannot use the fresh turmeric in the spice rub.
• Fresh turmeric is more vibrant, brighter and has more of a gingery flavor. The ground turmeric has an earthier flavor.

How to Make it

- Mix the paprika, cumin and ground turmeric together. On a plate or a sheet pan, sprinkle it evenly among the 4 fillets of Snapper. Set aside.

- Coat the bottom of a large oven-proof skillet with olive oil (ideally, 14-inch cast iron), and place it over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, garlic and fresh turmeric, and cook until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Then add the carrots, mix, and cook for a couple of minutes. Follow this with the broccoli and cabbage, stir, and cook just until the cabbage is wilted.

* HERE IS A QUICK LOOK AT GRATING FRESH TURMERIC ROOT *

Recipe Tip: Be sure to cut the carrots and cabbage thinly, and the broccoli into small pieces, so that the timing works. If your cuts are bigger, just sauté the vegetables longer before adding the rice, and they should soften nicely.

- Add the rice and salt, and mix well to be sure all of the grains are coated with the oil and other ingredients.

- Pour in the water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and cover tightly with foil. Place the covered pan in a preheated 375℉ oven and bake for 15 minutes. The rice should be almost done cooking and there should still be some liquid left in the pan.

- Make spaces for the spice-coated Snapper fillets and add them to the vegetable rice. Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. Return the pan, uncovered, to the oven just until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes.

- Sprinkle with crushed red chili flakes (if desired) and serve!

Recipe Tip: If you don't have a large cast iron skillet (approx. 14-inch), you can sauté the vegetables in any large skillet, and then when you're ready to add the rice, transfer them to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add the water, skip bringing it to a boil, and proceed with the same instructions from there. (The rice will take about 5 to 10 minutes longer to cook this way.)

Variations

You can essentially use this recipe as a guide -- it's that versatile!

• Other vegetables. Keep the measurements the about the same, and remember that cabbage wilts. Try it with cauliflower, sweet potato, zucchini, fennel bulb, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers or green beans. (Note that cooking times might vary.)
• Other seasonings and spices. You can swap fresh ginger for the fresh turmeric, or use a combination of both. Use about half the amount if you're only using ginger, as it's more pungent. You can try other finely ground spices in the rub. Keeping the same total measurement of 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon, garlic, onion, coriander, and ancho chili would all be delicious. Feel free to experiment with different combinations.
• Other fish. Most fish that's about an inch thick will take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake. Others to try are salmon, cod, mahi mahi, grouper, and sea bass.

What You Can do Ahead

• All of the vegetables can be prepped a day ahead of time. They should be stored in an airtight containers or Ziploc bags in the refrigerator. (The broccoli and cabbage can be in the same container since they're added to the pan at the same time.)
• The spice rub can be made as ahead as you'd like. Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature.
• The vegetables can be sautéed a couple of hours ahead of time. Just before adding the rice, turn off the heat, cover, and proceed about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve.

More Must-Try Delicious Fish Recipes

Enjoy! I hope you love this Baked Red Snapper recipe as much as my family and I do!