Bacon Wrapped Jerk Red Snapper

I had a recipe I wanted to post that I had been working on for several days. I even shopped and had it prepped. I had everything I needed, except for the time to put it together. But like it tends to do, fate stepped in and threw me a curve ball. I inherited a few cuts of Red Snapper while at work last night, and not one to let a good fish go bad, I set my prepared recipe aside for the moment and let inspiration take over.


Honestly, I tend to feel really bad having to throw away good food. Well that, and I like fish a lot. It is a close follower to Pork, The Pig is King. This was basically the thought process that led to this dish.


Bacon Wrapped Jerk Red Snapper

A few Notes about this recipe. For most dishes I do prefer to cook in a Cast Iron Skillet, but any oven safe pan will work. Your choice of bacon is important as well, as it adds a lot of flavor. I chose to use peppered bacon, but once again, pick your favorite.

This fish was served over a mixture of Black Beans and Rice, similar to a Cuban dish called Congri.

2 ea Red Snapper Filet
6 each Bacon Slices
Salt and Pepper, TT
2 Tbsp Jerk Seasoning
¼ cup Cilantro Leaves, Whole
2 Tbsp Hazelnuts
3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
4 ea Garlic Clove

Oven Temperature: 350°F

1 Lay out three of the Bacon Strips on a cutting board.

2 Place Red Snapper Filet on diagonal across the bacon.

3 Lightly Salt and Pepper the Red Snapper Filet.

4 Roll the Snapper in the bacon, being careful not to let the bacon overlap.

5 Sprinkle One Tablespoon of Jerk Seasoning over each wrapped filet.

6 Heat an oven safe pan over Medium Heat.

7 Place the wrapped filets in the heated pan. Cook until bacon is nice and brown, about five minutes.

8 Carefully turn filets over, and transfer the pan to 350 degree oven.

9 Cook wrapped fish until cooked through, about 15 minutes, but this can vary depending on your oven and thickness of the filets.

10 While fish is cooking, place Cilantro, Hazelnuts, Vinegar, Olive Oil, Salt, Garlic and Red Pepper in food processor and pulse until a smooth paste, scraping down sides as needed.

11 Remove fish from pan and place on a plate. Add a good amount of the Cilantro Paste to the top of the Cooked Wrapped Snapper.

Enjoy