Easy Fried Snapper Fingers
By Andrew
A mild, white-fleshed fish, red snapper is universally beloved and readily available anywhere. In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I’m making two different dishes with red snapper. First, I’ll show you a foolproof way to filet and butcher a smaller snapper to make fried snapper fingers with a spicy chile-orange mayonnaise dipping sauce. Then, I’m roasting a whole fish over open fire, serving it family style with an herb salad and charred miso sweet potatoes (recipe).
Tune into Wild Game Kitchen every Monday on Tastemade.
Fried Snapper with Orange-Chile Mayo
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yellowtail snapper filets, cut into goujonettes or fingers
- 2-3 quarts peanut or canola oil
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Andrew Zimmern’s Lemon Shallot Seasoning, or your favorite all-purpose blend
- Salt, to taste
- Orange-chile mayo, for serving (recipe below)
Instructions
Skin and trim the snapper filets, discarding the skin and trim. Cut into roughly 1-inch wide “fingers.”
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and flour. Divide this mixture evenly into two mixing bowls. Add the buttermilk to one of the bowls, whisking until smooth. You want a consistency similar to a runny pancake batter. Add salt and Lemon-Shallot seasoning to the other bowl, whisking to combine.
In batches, dip the snapper fingers into the wet batter, then into the dry starch mix and place immediately into the hot oil. Cook the fish in batches, for about 3 minutes each, until brown and crispy. Drain on a wire rack set over a sheet tray. Season liberally with salt. Serve immediately with the seasoned mayo.
Orange Tarragon-Mayo
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 seeded and cleaned serrano pepper, chopped
- 1 cup fresh tarragon leaves, loosely packed
- 14 cup sweet pickle, minced
- Zest 2 oranges
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- Lemon juice to taste
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Place the egg yolks, white vinegar, mustard, serrano pepper, tarragon, sweet pickles, and orange zest in a large deep blending cup. I use a 6 cup Pyrex measure for this. Blend using an immersion wand (stick blender) with the blending attachment. Slowly add the canola oil in a thin stream, emulsifying the sauce, then do the same with the olive oil. Stir in the orange juice and lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and serve with the fish fingers.
