There are a great many varieties of Snapper, including Five Line, Yellowtail, Silk, Crimson, Flag, Moses, Mangrove Jack, Emperor and Goldband, but the undisputed heavyweight champion is the Red Snapper (Lutjanus sanguine). All Snappers are available in sizes from 500g to 1kg, which provide portion size whole fish, and fillets, but Red Snapper can grow up to 11kg – providing fantastic suprêmes from fish over 3kg. Be aware of Malabar Snapper – very similar to Red Snapper, but requires careful cooking to avoid drying out. The flesh is similar in most Snappers – pale pink, flaky, with a distinctive sweet taste – and is usually served with its attractive skin on, which can be eaten – but don’t forget to de-scale. Snappers can be grilled, pan-fried, baked, roasted, barbecued (whole fish only), and will take as much flavour as you can throw at it. Loads of chilli, garlic, lime, coriander, it even works with curry flavours. Features: Have a mild, slightly sweet flavour, low oiliness and moist, firm flesh with large flakes and few bones, which are easily removed.
