Grilled Red Snapper…A Fishy First Fishtale For Me!

I love fresh fish, especially ocean varieties like Red Snapper. And for the past 41 years, Fabian Seafood trucks from Galveston, Texas have made sporadic stops in the Iowa City Dairy Queen parking lot. That’s only a few blocks from our home. And even though we have lived in our house for almost that long I have never stopped to see what those long lines of customers were buying.

That is…never until this week.

I guess I’ve always been leery of the quality and freshness of fish and seafood that have been hauled by truck all the way from the Gulf Coast. And the thought of buying something off the back of a truck always seemed less than pristine. But I can truly say I have now put those fears to rest. 

Check out these gorgeous shrimp…swimming in that ice packed cold cooler!

I even got a lesson on shrimp roe and advice about deveining shrimp from none other than Mr. Fabian himself.

I have always wondered whether it is necessary to remove the black vein in shrimp when serving peel and eat shrimp since I know most restaurants don’t do it. Mr. Fabian told me if I am using small to medium size shrimp it is not necessary to remove that vein, but when serving large or extra large shrimp the vein should be removed. And THESE beauties are the large variety for sure!

I bought a pound of those shrimp, and when I saw another ice filled cooler filled with Red Snapper fish I just had to splurge. I bought a snapper that weighed almost two pounds and I headed back up the hill to our house. My brain began working overtime…deciding how I should prepare that gorgeous fish for our dinner.

Mr. Fabian had given me some preliminary preparation instructions, and I settled on my game plan. I decided to stuff the fish with aromatics and to grill that Red Snapper.

I stuck the fish in the coldest part of my refrigerator, and I headed out to my herb garden where I picked fresh tarragon and thyme. Then I thinly sliced some lemons and red onions. I minced some garlic and I grabbed some capers out of the frig. 

About two hours before dinner I pulled the fish from the frig and thoroughly rinsed it with cold water. Then I dried it and sprinkled it with fresh ground black pepper and coarse sea salt before I stuffed the cavity with all the wonderful herb mixture. I drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil and I put it back in the frig for the herbs and lemon mixture to permeate the snapper before grilling. (I let is “chill out” for more than an hour.)

I decided that Red Snapper would pair well with some sauteed kale, so I grabbed a skillet and threw in some red onion and garlic with some extra virgin olive oil. I cooked that mixture until both were soft and fragrant.

Then I threw in a bag of prewashed kale (stems removed) and allowed the kale to wilt and soften. 

I threw a lid on the skillet to provide enough moisture to allow the kale to cook completely, and I stirred the mixture several times to ensure that it cooked evenly. (I could have added a splash of white wine or chicken broth if needed.) I removed the skillet from the heat and covered the veggies with a lid to stay warm and to continue steaming while I threw that beautiful Red Snapper onto the grill.

I drizzled the fish with some olive oil before I put it on the grill. (I placed it on a cookie cooling rack since I realized ALL of my fish grilling supplies are sitting in my Florida kitchen…so “any port in the storm” as they say. That cooling rack worked great.)

Notice I did NOT remove the fish skin or even the scales since the skin peels off very easily from the cooked fish. And the skin helps to hold the fish together on the grill as it cooks.

So here, Dear Readers, was my finished dish. Now before you go all squeamish…I know I should have removed that eyeball before I took the photo! (Next time I will.)

Here is an eyeball-less photo to dwell on…

That gorgeous fish was as delicious as I had hoped it would be. It was flakey and delicate, and the fresh herbs and lemons perfumed the dish and added to the flavor profile.

The snapper paired beautifully with the kale, and I added some crispy red potatoes too.

All in all, it was a delicious meal…right down to the bones!

So the next time I spot that Fabian seafood truck in town you can rest assured I’ll be checking out their latest “Catch of the Day”…right here in landlocked Iowa City. (I’ve signed up to get an email notification in advance of their next arrival.) I’m just sorry it took me 41 years to enjoy the fruits of their labors. And next time I’ll share more about Mr. Fabian and the family business he built and continues to operate after all these years.

I LOVE the heartwarming Mom and Pop stories that make up the fabric of business success in America. And there’s nothing “fishy” about that!