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Puerto Rico · Red Snapper

Whole Fried Snapper with Mojito Isleño

Chillo Frito con Mojito Isleño

The Sunday plate of Salinas: a whole snapper fried crisp and smothered in mojito isleño, a warm sauce of onions, peppers, olives and capers.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 35 min
  • Serves 2–4
  • Level Medium
Served with: Tostones with Garlic Dip ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the mojito isleño

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Season the fish. Cut 3 slashes on each side. Rub inside and out with lime, then with the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Let it sit 20 minutes.
  2. Start the mojito. Warm the olive oil in a pan and cook the onions and green pepper over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
  3. Simmer the sauce. Add the tomato sauce, pimientos, olives, capers, vinegar, bay leaves and water. Simmer gently for 15 minutes and taste for salt.
  4. Fry. Pat the fish dry and dust with flour. Fry in oil at 350 °F (175 °C) for 6–8 minutes per side until golden and the meat pulls from the bone.
  5. Serve. Lay the fish on a platter and spoon the hot mojito over the top. Serve with tostones and lime.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Puerto Rico & the Spanish Caribbean

Tostones with Garlic Dip

Tostones con Mojo de Ajo

Green plantains fried twice: soft inside, crackly outside. Every fried-fish plate in Puerto Rico comes with a pile of these.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 large green plantains
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to finish
  • 4 garlic cloves (for the dip)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (for the dip)
  • 1 tbsp lime juice (for the dip)

How to make it

  1. First fry. Peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Fry in oil at 325 °F (165 °C) for 4–5 minutes until tender but still pale.
  2. Smash. Drain, then press each piece flat to about ½ inch (1 cm) with the bottom of a glass or a tostonera.
  3. Second fry. Fry again at 365 °F (185 °C) for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and salt right away.
  4. Garlic dip. Mash the garlic with a pinch of salt, then stir in the olive oil and lime juice. Serve on the side for dipping.

Photo: やましこ · CC BY-SA 2.0

More ways to cook Red Snapper

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Havana, CubaCuban Griddled Snapper with Mojo Criollo
JamaicaJamaican Escovitch Snapper
Andalusia, SpainSalt-Crusted Whole Snapper
Algarve, PortugalAlgarve Oven-Roasted Snapper
Greek IslandsGreek Island Grilled Snapper with Lemon-Oil
New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans Blackened Red Snapper