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Red Snapper
Red Snapper Flavor Scale
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Red Snapper Flavor Profile 

Red Snapper is a lean, moist fish with a firm texture and a distinctive sweet, nutty flavor wich makes it versatile for many flavor components from mild to intense seasoning.  Many other fish are marketed as "Red Snapper" but are not the real thing so check your sources, and buy it with the skin on so you can verify the skin color. 

The raw flesh of Red Snapper is pinkish with yellow streaks, turning lighter (but not white) when cooked.  The skin is deep red along the back which fades to a lighter pinkish-red on the on the belly.

Alternate Names

American Red Snapper, Snapper, Caribbean Red Snapper, Mexican Snapper

Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) Description

Red Snapper can grow to about 35 pounds, but average market size is 4 to 6 pounds.  Red Snapper under 4 pounds have pink, metallic colored skin.  Older fish have red skin and red eyes.  They are called "snapper" because of their large, animal-like teeth.  The only species that can be legally marketed as Red Snapper is the American Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus. Red Snapper have trademark red skin and red eyes and come from waters off the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf states and Mexico.

Gillneting is illegal for Red Snapper so most of them are caught by longline, and sometimes by trawls and traps.

 Red Snapper

Fresh Red Snapper Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.  Frozen available all year long.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                                                                                               

 

 

Red Snapper Yield Percentage and Recovery

Item To Skn/On Fillets To Skn/Off Fillets Notes
Whole Head/On ungutted 52% 48%  
Whole Head/On gutted 40% 36%  
Skin/On Fillets -- 92%  
 

 

Range & Habitat

Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is found from Brazil to the Gulf of Mexico and northward to the Western Atlantic coast of Massachusetts, but it is rare to find above North Carolina.

The Pacific Red Snapper (Lutjanus peru) is found in the Eastern Pacific from Mexico to Peru.

Red Snapper Range and Location
AquaMaps     Data sources: GBIF OBIS

 

Typical Wholesale Products

Whole, Dressed, H&G, Fillets (skn/on)

Additional Culinary Notes

Snappers are a reef dwelling fish so there is the possibility of Ciguatera poisoning.  Ciguatera is caused by eating certain reef fishes whose flesh is contaminated with toxins originally produced by dinoflagellates associated with red tide.  Ciguatera cannot be destroyed by cooking.  Check with your vendor to avoid fish harvested from known hot spots.

Red Snapper Recipes

Visit our recipe database page and search our favorite seafood recipe sites.

Red Snapper Sustainability Info

This window is a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program info on Snapper.

 

Red Snapper Nutritional Information

based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving.

* Calories/Calories from fat 171/21
* Protein grams 35
* Fat grams 2.2
* Saturated fat grams .5
* Sodium milligrams 110
* Cholesterol milligrams 63
* Omega-3 grams  .7
more Snapper nutrition info 
 

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