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Poached Mutton Snapper
Domingo & Dena Salas
Poached Mutton Snapper with Confit Peppers and Basque Potatoes
The Catch: Mutton Snapper
It was a great sunny day, slightly choppy but well within acceptable water movement, and it was my first time spearfishing with a new dive buddy, Zach from Spearos Kitchen. The shallow patch reef off of Biscayne was perfect for our target species, mutton snapper. Mutton snapper inhabit coastal waters, near structure, and while juveniles group together most full-grown fish tend to be solitary.
They are a joy to hunt, harvest and prepare. On our third spot of the day, I dove down to an easy 20 ft and ambled over to size up a porgy. As I sat on the bottom I saw a flash of olive and pink in my peripheral vision, and turned to see a large mutton begin hightailing it out of the reef once I set my eyes on him. I gave chase but he was too fast, staying well out of my range.
Hoping he would keep to the area, I began a large reconnoiter of the patch reef, and after an hour and a half in the water my persistence paid off. I saw a large snout protruding from a cave entrance, and once I got closer I saw the distinctive spot near the tail and knew I had seconds to take this fish as he was turning to escape the cave, not head further in.
My Riffe 110x Euro was perfect for a quick long range holding shot and my spear entered just behind his gill plate. I underestimated how strong he was, he thrashed under the rock structure and kicked up sand everywhere, completely obscuring my vision. Once I caught my breath, and the sand settled some, my worst fears were confirmed and I pulled up an empty spear.
I decided to wait a little longer for the bottom to settle completely, and search for the fish. Zach proved to be an excellent dive buddy, coming over to help me search for the mutton, and located him near the exit of the cave and got a second shot in him, and together we harvested a personal best mutton snapper for me, and the trophy fish of the day, a 24.5 inch mutton snapper.
The Cook: Poached Mutton Snapper
Much of the basque kitchen is about good olive oil, peppers and fresh fish. We value seasonal ingredients and being on the northern Spanish coast, rely on the sea for many of our favorite dishes. Part of the beauty of basque cuisine is its simplicity and use of traditional cooking like grilling over open fires or like this recipe slow cooking by gently simmering slowing natural flavors to shine. At its core the dish is about flavoring olive oil with sweet peppers and then cooking the fish in that seasoned oil. Another wonderful thing about poaching is that it makes it hard to overcook the fish since it’s such a gentle cooking method.
While this dish is traditionally made with cod, hake or turbot, mutton snapper makes a fine substitute for these cold water fish. Paired with the peppers, and patatas a la vasca or basque potatoes that are made with more olive oil, this recipe is great for our lactose intolerant friends, there is no dairy in this dish!
Other Mutton Snapper Recipes You Might Like
We have a full database of recipes similar to this poached mutton snapper, we also have a few species specific recipes! Every part of the fish is delicious, be sure to check out our recipes for all of the different parts!
Poached Mutton Snapper
