Description
These are true American red snapper, hook-and-line caught by boats that leave and return the same day out of Port Aransas. Fish come to us whole and in the round, packed on ice. We scale, gut, and fillet them here, then pin-bone by hand and leave the skin on because it crisps well and holds the fillet together in a hot pan.
Get a heavy skillet properly hot, oil it thin, and lay the fillet skin-down. Press it flat for the first twenty seconds so it does not curl, then leave it alone for four to five minutes until the skin releases on its own. Flip for one minute and pull it. Snapper is done at 130F in the thick part and will carry a few degrees off the heat, so take it early rather than late.
Specification
- Caught: Gulf day boats, hook and line, Port Aransas
- Prepared: skin-on fillet, scaled and pin-boned
- Sold by: the pound
- Never previously frozen
Storage
Keep on ice or in the coldest part of the fridge and cook within two days of pickup. It freezes acceptably wrapped tight and vacuum sealed, but the skin will not crisp the same way afterward.
Marissa T. (verified owner) –
Bought two fillets on a Friday and cooked them that night. The skin crisped exactly the way the counter guy said it would if I pressed it down first. No bones at all, which I appreciated because I was feeding my kids.
Dana R. (verified owner) –
I have bought snapper at three places in Austin and this is the only one that actually tastes like it came off a boat. Firm flesh, sweet, no ammonia smell whatsoever.
J. Okafor (verified owner) –
Very clean fish, no muddy taste, and it held together in the pan. Slightly thinner fillets than I expected for the price, but the flavor made up for it.