This Oven Baked Red Snapper recipe is my go to when I want an easy, healthy weeknight meal on the table in under 20 minutes. Tender fish fillets are brushed with a savory garlic-herb butter sauce and finished with a crispy parmesan breadcrumb topping.
Whether you are making baked red snapper fillets for a fast family dinner or preparing a whole baked red snapper for guests, this simple seafood dish never disappoints.
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Why You'll Love This Red Snapper Recipe
Quick Weeknight Dinner: Oven baked and on the table in under 20 minutes.
Crispy & Flavorful: The garlic herb butter and golden parmesan topping keep the fish moist without turning soggy.
Picky Eater Approved: Mild white fish with a savory breadcrumb crust that even people who "don't like fish" end up loving.
Key Ingredients
Red Snapper Fillets: I like using skin-on fillets because the skin keeps the fish tender and holds everything together while baking.
Garlic-Herb Butter: Simmering garlic, Creole seasoning, and fresh parsley into melted butter builds the flavor base for the whole dish.
Parmesan Breadcrumb Crust: This creates a quick, crunchy topping that seals in moisture so the fish stays tender.
How to Make Baked Red Snapper
Follow the steps below for a fast weeknight meal.
- Whip up the garlic herb sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, black pepper, parsley, and chives. Let it simmer on low for about 2 minutes so all those savory flavors blend together without burning the garlic.
- Season and top the fish: Place your red snapper fillets in a sprayed baking dish. Generously brush both sides of the fillets with your garlic herb butter sauce. Toss the remaining butter sauce with your breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, then spoon it evenly over the top of each fillet.
- Bake until golden & flaky: Pop the dish into the oven and bake at 400°F for 12 minutes or until the flesh flakes easily and reaches the internal temperature of 137°F. . You'll know it's done when the crust is light golden brown, the flesh is opaque, and it flakes easily with a fork. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving!
What to Know Before You Bake
Red snapper is a mild flavored fish with a meaty firm texture. It is delicious grilled, baked, broiled, blackened or fried. It is one of the most popular of white fish and is found in the Gulf of Mexico and Indonesia and is often sold whole or in fillets.
Red snapper is ready when its internal temperature registers 137 degrees.
Fish cooks quickly and because there is a topping on this fish recipe, it will not dry out and does not require it to be covered.
Yes! If you prefer extra tender fish or easier cleanup, baking red snapper in foil works great. Wrap the seasoned fillets loosely in aluminum foil to trap the steam while cooking. If you want that golden, crispy breadcrumb crust, leave the foil open at the top for the last 3-4 minutes of baking.
Absolutely. If you are baking a whole red snapper, make a few shallow diagonal slashes along the skin on both sides so the garlic butter penetrates the meat. Adjust your baking time to roughly 20-25 minutes at 400°F (or until the internal temperature reaches 137°F).
Simple Tips for Cooking Snapper
- Reduce the cooking time for thinner fillets. Begin checking the internal temperature after 7 minutes.
- Make your own bread crumbs by processing bread into fine crumbs using a food processor. The bread can be dried out in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- For an easier clean up, the baked red snapper fillets can be placed on top of foil or parchment paper in a baking dish or baking sheet.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute the cajun seasoning for smoked paprika and garlic powder for the fresh garlic.
- Substitute fresh rosemary or thyme for the parsley.
- Use seasoned or plain panko crumbs in place of breadcrumbs.
- Use lime juice instead of lemon for garnish.
Delicious Sides to Complete the Meal
Since red snapper is light and cooks quickly, I like serving it alongside simple vegetable side dishes. A few of my favorites are Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter, Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans, or Zucchini and Mushrooms.
Craving More Fish Dinners?
If you're looking to add more easy, quick-cooking seafood to your weeknight routine, give these reader favorites a try:
When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Excellent!! I am sooo happy with the flavor of this dish. It turned out better than I expected. I recently told my friend about it and she raved about it also. I am making it again tomorrow for my parents. The only substitute I made was using panko instead of bread crumbs.
I finally feel confident making fish for guests. Thank you ❤️"
- Melissa Lee
📖 Recipe
Baked Red Snapper Recipe with Garlic Topping
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces red snapper fillets about 2-3 fillets
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 4 teaspoon dried breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoon fresh parsley , minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh chives optional , snipped (optional)
- 2 teaspoon Parmesan Cheese , freshly grated (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter until bubbly. Combine garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, pepper, and parsley with the butter sauce. Cook the sauce low heat for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
- Place the red snapper fillets in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Brush both sides of fish fillets with the butter and herb mixture.
- Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese (if using) to the remaining butter mixture; sprinkle over the fillets.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 137°, the fish should flake easily and is no longer translucent. Garnish with chives (if using) and lemon slices (if using).
Mer says
Off the hook delicious, garlicky, Cajun sauce! A little spicy a little sweet sooo good. My go to fish topping!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
At the very top of the page there is a button that say "jump to recipe" it is very visible and put there for the convenience of those who need help finding the recipe card. All you need to do is click that button and it will take you to the recipe. Hope you will try the recipe and if you have further issues, feel free to email me directly. Thanks! Shelby
SShirley J says
This recipe is right up my alley, easy and delicious! I would use this on all my baked fish.
Beth says
Loved this dish. I substituted Old Bay for Cajun and the family loved it.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thanks Beth! What a great substitution, I will have to try it myself! Thank you for sharing. Shelby
Sarah says
This is my go to recipe for red snapper and has worked just as well with trout! I get so many compliments when I make this that my husband is getting tired of me servicing it EVERY time we have guests but it’s just such a sure hit!! Love an easy recipe that’s super impressive. Excited to try other recipes of yours
Francine says
I made this recipe twice already, and my husband and I loved it. I didn't use the parmesan cheese because I didn't have any on hand. And, instead of the Cajun seasoning I used Thai Chili sauce. I mixed it right in with the butter mixture. I brushed it on the front and back of the fish, let it set in the fridge covered for 45 mins and then cooked it at the recommended time. It was fantastic, so moist and flaky. Thank you for the recipe.
Sandy says
This recipe is a keeper. I did bake it about 20 min total as my snapper pieces were thick. Great flavor. I served it with Jasmine rice and California blend vegetables.
Malcolm Butler says
Absolutely my favorite Gulf red snapper recipie of all time. Thank you for putting it out there and thank your friend for sharing it with you. WOW!!!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Malcom, thank you so much for taking the time to come back, comment and rate the recipe. It is greatly appreciated! Shelby
Cathy says
Turned out perfectly. Didn’t have fresh parsley so used dried. I also used panko bread crumbs.
Jaxredhd says
Fabulous recipe. I’ve used this for red snapper and cod. It is my new favorite recipe for baked fish fillets.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank you for returning to rate the recipe, so happy you found a new favorite! Shelby
Melissa Lee says
Excellent!! I am sooo happy with the flavor of this dish. It turned out better than I expected. I recently told my friend about it and she raved about it also. I am making it again tomorrow for my parents. The only substitute I made was using panko instead of bread crumbs.
I finally feel confident making fish for guests. Thank you ❤️
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Melissa, thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe. I'm so happy it turned out for you and your friend! Thank you again and I hope you try more recipes from my site! Shelby
Star says
Amazing! Restaurant quality! My new snapper go-to recipe! I rarely leave reviews because most online recipes are mediocre at best, but lady you deserve a culinary reward for this, lol!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Star, so happy you enjoyed the recipe and gave it a review! Thank you!Shelby
Carol says
Thank you for posting such a lovely recipe! I am eating it right now and I'm very impressed. Since I'm a Keto person I switched the breadcrumbs for the equivalent in almond flour and I used a bit more garlic than you did, because I love it. I served it with mashed cauliflower and green peas and a spinach salad. Such a simple recipe but so delicious!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Carol, thanks for letting me know! So happy you enjoyed the recipe <3 Shelby
Nick says
Fairly simple, relatively quick and darn tasty.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thanks Nick!
Lisa says
This was a restaurant- quality dinner! We loved it! I increased the garlic to two cloves, used about 1/8 cup of chopped green onions, omitted the parsley (just because I didn’t have any on hand), doubled the Parmesan cheese and used Lemon Dill seasoning instead of Cajun. I will definitely make this fish dish again. It was superb!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lisa! Thank you for letting me know! Shelby
cheryl Shulock says
I made the garlic and bread crumb red snapper for dinner the other night....I had 1 1/2 pound so I made 3x the recipe...maybe next time not quite so much butter but it was delicious!!! We had leftovers COLD for lunch the next day!!! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing
Shelby Law Ruttan says
That's great! Thank you for sharing!
Peggy says
Your picture and ingredients look perfect. I had planned to fry my Redfish tomorrow but will try your Baked Red Snapper with Garlic instead.
I hope it works for me. You won't approve but I will serve with Fried Green Tomato as I just picked them from my garden today. I live on the Gulf Coast in South Texas and love Cajun spices.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Oh, I totally approve of the fried green tomato! We absolutely love them 🙂 I even have a Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict recipe here! Enjoy!
Britt says
Commenting about how a recipe looks is zero help with how it tastes!!! Thanks to the few people that have commented after actually cooking it.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Britt, thanks for stopping by. I hope if you make the recipe that you will come back to review it!
Irene says
Made this tonight for dinner, everyone loved it! So easy to make too! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for the recipe!
Shelby says
Hi Irene, thanks for stopping back to let me know! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Sharice says
This was DELICIOUS! Thanks so much!
Shelby says
Hi Sharice! Glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
Sue says
This was delicious! Added some big prawns as well. Yum! Will definitely make this again.
Shelby says
Hi Sue! Great idea to add the prawns! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the recipe!
Gloria says
This was soooo good, I'm telling anyone that will listen. I used the Panko crumbs and grated parmesan. I also put a crabmeat stuffing in it. It was a huge hit. Looking for a reason to do it again real soon. Guess what, I never write reviews. Thank you for sharing!
Shelby says
Wow, thanks Gloria! So glad you left a review here and so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I hope you enjoy it over and over 🙂
Karen says
Just had this red snapper dish this evening. Turned out great. The thing is, though, that at 400°, I had to cook the 8oz. filets much longer. I put them back in the oven for an additional 12 minutes. The combination of ingredients was delightful!
Shelby says
Hi Karen, thanks for posting! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Andrea P. says
Found this today and made it for my boyfriend and I. It turned out delicious and he kept telling me how tasty it was. This was easy and as the seasonings were melding with the butter in the pan, I could smell it was going to be delicious, and it did not disappoint! Thank you!
Shelby says
Yay! So glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed this! Thank you for letting me know!
Andrea says
Yummy! The snapper was moist and flavourful. This is now one of my go to' easy recipes. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Shelby says
So happy it turned out well for you!
Kat says
This was beyond delicious. Thank you!
Beth says
Hi Shelby! Just discovered this recipe. Q: Do you think we could leave off the bread coating without ruining the recipe?
Thanks - looks delicious!
Shelby says
Absolutely, but I recommend the cheese if you can do that lol. The cheese does add flavor and is so yummy. I doubt you can ruin the recipe just by not using the bread. I hope you enjoy and let me know how it turned out!
W. Pollock says
Absolutely Delicious. Simple directions.
Shelby says
Thank you!
Tee says
I usually leave snapper to the pros to cook. Ie restaurants. But I found this recipe after purchasing fresh red snapper and boy was it delish!
Shelby says
Thank you so much for letting me know it turned out delicious for you!
Mare S says
Excellent recipe: after eating it , it gave such a feeling of contentment with the delicious flavoring of the ingredients. It has become my top recipe for red snapper.
Shelby says
So happy to hear this Mare! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
Dan B says
Use your recipe on snapper delicious it was awesome!
And much to my surprise it looked just like the picture. Lol very very good!!
Erin Albright says
My husband and daughter absolutely LOVED the fish I made using your recipe. Unfortunately, I had to use dried parsley and chives, but they perked up in the saucepan w/the butter. I also only had regular old powdered parmesan and panco breadcrumbs, so I used those as well. I can imagine how much more they will love it when I use all fresh ingredients. 😉
Thank you for this recipe! I had never baked fish successfully before, so I was grateful to find your recipe.
Shelby says
Hi Erin! So happy this was a success for you! Thank you for letting me know!
Tina says
I found this to be pretty perfect. I started with a 1.3lb red fish filet. Mixed your ingredients exactly. Because of the size of the fish, turned the temp up to 425 and cooking time 20 minutes. It cooked beautifully! Maybe more salt next time, but that's just a personal preference. Perfect as is for company!
Shelby says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for letting us know!
Dria says
Trying your recipe for the first time tonight so far it's looking great! Thanks
Shelby says
Yay! Hope it turns out awesome for you! Be sure to let me know!
Lisa McCormack says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. It is truly mouth watering and so easy to make.
Dawn says
This looks delicious. I was wondering if you could use swordfish or any other white meat fish in place if the red snapper?
Shelby says
Yes, I believe any firm fish would work in this recipe. Thanks Dawn, I hope you enjoy if you try it!
Patty says
I have never written a review for any recipes that I have tried off Pinterest. But I felt as though I had to write one of this recipe!!! Living on the Gulf of Mexico we get to catch our snapper fresh. My boyfriend took me fishing on Sunday and I caught a "Nice Size" snapper. So I wanted a different recipe than the normal grilling it. I made this last night, I'm sure I used WAY more garlic than you called for, but can you really ever have enough garlic. IT WAS DIVINE!!! I have printed the recipe and given to a few ladies here at work and I can not wait to make this again!!! Thank you for sharing. I look forward to trying many of your other recipes!!!
Betsy C says
Oh my!! This was phenomenal! I was looking for a quick new way to prepare snapper and this was perfect. Of course in true busy weeknight fashion, I was out of one ingredient. I substituted feta for the Parmesan and had to use a gluten free bread crumb. It was divine!! This ones a keeper!!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Betsy, So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for coming back to leave a review! Shelby
Rhonda says
Thanks Jamie. I'm trying this recipe today.
Maggie says
This recipe is delicious!!! Just the right proportion of everything!! Thank you!!
Don says
Finally someone who actually made it. Can't wait to try it
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Don, I hope you enjoy the recipe. I have actually made this also and we love it!
HoneyB says
Thank you Jamie! While you all were reading this Grumpy and I were enjoying Shrimp Fajitas, Pina Coladas, Sandy beaches and a pool party! 🙂
Bellini Valli says
Nice to see you here Jamie with another delcious dish:D
bobby says
Sadly, I have never had red snapper before, this looks soo good though.
pigpigscorner says
I am so hungry now! The fish looks so juicy and the sauce is just amazing!
Creative One says
Looks delicious Jamie. Great post!
Mrs. L says
We're trying to get more fish into our diet and this sounds like a perfect recipe to try.
Jamie says
This is such a great way to prepare fish and simple, too. I would love this. Must try it!
Amanda says
Wow that looks fabulous!
Megan says
Oops! wrong window open. Your not the french toast. But the fish looks great! Always looking for a great fish recipe. Great pictures too!
Megan says
Banana french toast? Now where talking! Looks delicious!
Chef E says
I love snapper, most any fish, and this preparations sounds really yummy, well the picture looks fabulous, thanks for guest blogging...
Ingrid says
I've yet to try making snapper at home....you've convinced me that this must be changed asap! Great photos, looks really really !
~ingrid
Lynda says
This looks realy, realy good...I'm always looking for new fish dishes! Thanks for posting this.
Danielle says
Mmm this looks delicious!
Mary says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I made a compound butter with herbs and lemon zest and served the fish with wild rice, great dinner, simple and scrumptious. My husband loved it and asked me to save the recipe to make again, thank you!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Mary, so happy to hear this. Thank you for coming back to rate the recipe! Shelby
Brie says
Delicious! I made this last night and it was great. Will definitely make again. Might even double the butter sauce so that we have more to plate with the fish. I dunked every bite into the sauce!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Brie, so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for coming back to review it! Shelby
Aggie says
Wow that fish looks great Jamie! I am definitely trying this recipe. Great post!! 🙂
Hope you are having a great time on your cruise Shelby!
Debbi says
This recipe is freaking amazing!!!! I have made this several times on all sorts of fish. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!!!!!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Debbi, so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you! Shelby
Katy ~ says
I'm not a fish eater, but I would be VERY tempted to try this. It looks DELISH!!
Coleen's Recipes says
I really like red snapper. Your photo looks mouth watering. It is nice to meet you Jamie.