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Pescado Frito (Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper)

Pescado Frito (Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper) is a traditional Puerto Rican recipe for a classic dish of red snapper in adobo marinade that's fried to cook. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Puerto Rican version of: Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper (Pescado Frito).

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Additional Time:

(+3 hours marinating)

Serves:

2

Rating:

Tags : Herb RecipesPuerto-rico Recipes

Fishing is an extraordinarily complex issue in Puerto Rico. Much of the seafood eaten doesn’t come from the island’s own waters, in part because of arcane legislation that controls fishing rights. And yet, whole deep-fried fish is a staple on the island, particularly along the west and southwest coast. There, you’ll find red snapper, simply marinated in adobo, fried and served with tostones, avocado salad and white rice. It is, in my opinion, the absolute best way to enjoy a whole fish. The frying turns the head and the tail into a crunchy fish chicharrón, and the skin and flesh cook evenly, keeping the flesh moist and the skin crisp.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp adobo marinade (the one for chicken and seafood)
juice of 1/2 lime
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp sazón

For the Fish:
1kg red snapper, cleaned, scaled and gilled
1.5l vegetable oil
Lime wedges, hot sauce and chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Method:

Finish the adobo by mixing the adobo marinade with the lime juice, cumin and sazón.

Prepare the fish: Make three shallow crosswise cuts on both sides of the surface of the fish skin, then place it in a deep, lidded, container or a large resealable bag. Pour over the adobo sauce, rubbing it into the skin, head and body cavity. Let fish marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (or 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator). If marinating longer, let the fish come to room temperature 30 minutes before frying.

Take a large heavy-based saucepan (this should be large enough to hold the fish) pour in enough oil to reach a depth of at least 5cm. Place over high until the oil is simmering and reaches 175C degrees on a confectioner's thermometer.

Line a baking tray with paper towels and set aside.

Once the oil comes to temperature, pick the marinated fish up by the tail, shake off any excess marinade then carefully lower it head-first into the hot oil. Use a pair of tongs to gently nudge the fish to prevent it from sticking to the pot. The frying be very active at first (due to the water in the fish), so have a splatter shield handy, if you’ve got one.

Using a heat-safe ladle, baste any un-submerged 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.

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 tray.

Allow the fish to rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges, hot sauce and coriander.