Ingredients
2 large whole snapper fish (about 3 pounds each), cleaned, scaled and gutted*
15 large garlic cloves, minced and combined with a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sumac
3 bell peppers, different colors, sliced in rounds
1 large tomato, sliced into rounds
1 medium red onion, sliced into rounds
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup Skhug sauce (hot pepper and cilantro sauce)
2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pat the snapper fish dry. With a large knife, make two slits on each side of the fish. Fill the slits and coat the gut cavity of each fish with the minced garlic.
- To make the spice mix, combine the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and sumac in a small bowl. Use ¾ of the spice mix to season the snapper on both sides and inside each gut cavity. Set the remaining ¼ of the spice mix aside.
- Stuff each gut cavity with as many sliced peppers, tomatoes and onions as you can.
- Place the stuffed fish in a lightly oiled baking sheet. Add the remaining sliced vegetables to form a frame around the fish. Sprinkle the vegetables with a pinch of salt and the remaining ¼ of the spice mix. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.
- Place the baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then top the fish with the Skhug sauce and finish roasting to let the flavors cook into the fish, or about 10 minutes more, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Transfer the fish to a serving platter and squeeze the juice of one lemon all over. Use the slits you made earlier to cut through and portion the fish. Serve with wedges of the remaining lemon. Enjoy!
*Note: You can replace 6 pounds of whole snapper with 8 (7-ounce) fillets. Be sure to reduce your cooking time, however.
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