Creole-Stuffed Snapper and Creole Rice
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 hr 25 min (includes chilling time)
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
Red Snapper:
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 whole red snapper (3 to 4 pounds), gutted and scaled (see Cook’s note)
Grapeseed or avocado oil, for the grill grates
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
Creole Stuffing:
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup diced white onions
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Creole Rice:
1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
1/3 cup drained stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup diced white onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon salted butter, softened
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or seafood seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups cooked long-grain rice
Directions
- For the red snapper: Rub the coarse sea salt generously on the inside and outside of the red snapper. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Lightly oil the grill grates and heat the grill to 300 degrees F.
- For the creole stuffing: Heat a cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once melted, add the celery, bell peppers and white and green onions and cook until softened and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 additional minutes.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, kosher salt, Creole seasoning, dried thyme, dried sage, cayenne and remaining butter in a bowl and mix until well blended. Add the sauteed vegetables to the stuffing mixture and mix. Set aside.
- Wipe off the salt from the red snapper and stuff it with the stuffing mixture. Secure it with cooking twine (remember to remove the twine before serving). Place the lemon rounds on the grill and place the red snapper atop the rounds. Grill until the flesh is opaque, about 25 minutes.
- For the creole rice: Saute the andouille sausage, stewed tomatoes, white onions, bell peppers and butter in a cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat until lightly browned and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning, dried thyme and dried sage to the skillet and stir. Add the cooked rice and stir until uniform in appearance.
- Place the stuffed red snapper onto the rice and serve.
Cook’s Note
Have your local seafood market gut and scale your snapper for you.