This delightful Baked Red Snapper with Compound Butter is moist and tender with the most incredible lemony garlic flavor. It’s the perfect dinner made in under 30 minutes!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love this Red Snapper Recipe
• 🛒 What You’ll Need for Baked Red Snapper
• 🔪 How to Cook Red Snapper
• How Do You Know When Snapper is Done?
• Does Snapper Have to be Fully Cooked?
• What Goes Well with Red Snapper?
• Do You Cover Fish When Baking in the Oven?
• What's The Best Substitution for Red Snapper in a Recipe?
• Do You Remove the Skin from Red Snapper?
• What Sauce Goes with Snapper?
• Is Red Snapper a Good Fish to Eat?
• More Keto Fish Recipes

❤️ Why You’ll Love this Red Snapper Recipe

• Red snapper is tender and mild tasting
• Garlic herb compound butter makes a flavorful sauce
• Quick and easy to prepare
• Dinner in under 30 minutes

There are so many wonderful things about this baked red snapper recipe that you’re simply going to love. The fillets are so tender and moist and because snapper is naturally mild in flavor, it can take on whatever seasonings you use.

For this delicious recipe, a homemade savory garlic herb compound butter is used to give the fillets amazing flavor. And the best part is you can have this low carb, healthy, restaurant quality fish dinner on the table in under half an hour.

If you're a huge fan of red snapper recipes, you should also check out this recipe for Red Snapper with Pesto and this Red Snapper with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce. Both are easy and delicious recipes you'll want to add to your menu line up.

🛒 What You’ll Need for Baked Red Snapper

• Fresh red snapper
• Garlic Herb Compound Butter
• Lemon
• Olive oil

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Baking sheet
• Mixing bowl
• Instant read thermometer

🔪 How to Cook Red Snapper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Make the compound butter mixture, per the directions, but leave it in the mixing bowl at room temperature while you prepare the snapper.

Tip: Make a double batch of the compound butter and keep some in the freezer to use over veggies, chicken, fish or this Grilled Steak.

Dry all sides of your snapper with paper towels and cut into 8 pieces. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and add the snapper skin side down.

Spread the compound butter over the tops of each piece of snapper.

Top each piece with a slice of lemon and bake for 11-14 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F-140°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.

Drizzle the compound butter sauce over the top of each baked snapper fillet and serve with your favorite side. 

How Do You Know When Snapper is Done?

Cooking red snapper until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F will give you a slightly pink center. If you want it to be cooked through, cook it at 160°F, though most people prefer it somewhere in between.

It is important to note that just because a recipe recommends a certain cooking time, this may vary depending on the thickness of your red snapper fillets. To make sure it is cooked properly, using an instant read meat thermometer is the best way to check for doneness.

Does Snapper Have to be Fully Cooked?

It is perfectly safe to cook snapper with a slightly pink center, though the USDA recommends cooking snapper to at least 145°F.

What Goes Well with Red Snapper?

You can serve this recipe for red snapper with just about any low carb side dish you prefer. I made mine with steamed broccoli and poured some of the sauce over it as well, it was delicious! Here are some other Keto side dishes that work great with snapper:

• Shredded Brussels Sprouts
• Creamed Spinach
• Lime Cilantro Cauliflower Rice
• Green Beans Almondine
• Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

Do You Cover Fish When Baking in the Oven?

While cooking fish in foil packets like this Chipotle Lime Salmon in Foil recipe, it's not necessary to always cover fish filets when baking them. Fish cooks quickly and leaving it uncovered on the sheet pan allows the top to turn a light golden color.

What's The Best Substitution for Red Snapper in a Recipe?

Red snapper is a very most popular white fish, especially for seafood dishes for the home cook. It’s wonderful grilled, fried or even added to gumbo or seafood stews. But if snapper is hard to find where you live here are some great substitutes you can use:

• Grouper has larger and chunky flakes as compared to snapper but still has a sweet and light flavor.

• Cod is readily available in most grocery stores and has taste and texture very similar to red snapper fillets.

• Catfish is a very common fish that cooks as easily as snapper but can sometimes have a fishier taste.

• Sea bass is sweet and tender like snapper, but is also most often more expensive.

Do You Remove the Skin from Red Snapper?

Most fillets that you buy in the grocery store will have the skin already removed. If you're cooking the whole fillet or cutting one up yourself, you can leave the skin on if you prefer.

In fact, when pan searing snapper the skin fries up nice and crisp and is really delicious to eat.

What Sauce Goes with Snapper?

The compound butter used in this baked snapper recipe makes a wonderful buttery sauce. If you want to serve it with a creamier sauce, try this Creamy Dill Sauce, Spicy Bang Bang Sauce or a drizzle of this Zesty Dipping Sauce.

Is Red Snapper a Good Fish to Eat?

It's a very lean healthy source of protein. It’s a great source of vitamin A, potassium and omeaga-3 fatty acids. Plus, it’s naturally low carb making it an ideal choice for Keto.

More Keto Fish Recipes

• Salmon with Dill Sauce
• Air Fryer Cod
• Maple Glazed Salmon
• Baked Cod with Greek Salsa
• Mediterranean Mahi Mahi
• Blackened Salmon