Some Deadly Red Snapper

Whenever I go out to eat, the first thing I do is ask the waiter or waitress what their favorite thing to eat is. It's pretty much foolproof that every time I do this, I discover something incredibly delicious- and sometimes not on the menu.

One of those delicious discoveries is the whole red snapper at Tamarindos.  It's freaking incredible.  You don't need an appetizer, you don't need any side dishes.  It is a decadent, flavorful, perfectly seasoned, ridiculously filling meal that will leave you in a blissful food coma afterwards.

The problem with this meal is that I crave it more often than Kyle wants to go there.  So I did what I always do, I made it for dinner.

Red Snapper:
You'll need:

• 1 whole, gutted fish (bones in, fins, guts and scales removed)
• 2 limes
• 3 Tb chopped garlic
• 4 sprigs cilantro
• 1 sprig rosmary (chopped)
• 3 sprigs Italian parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instrucions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium sized bowl, squeeze the juice from one lime into the bowl. 
• Zest the lime.  Add the zest to the juice.
• Sprinkle 2 tsp of olive oil into the bowl.
• Dice the onion very finely (it will look like chopped garlic) and add it to the mixture in the bowl.
• Add the chopped garlic to the bowl.
• Add a dash of salt and pepper to the mixture.
• Add all of the herbs to the mixture.
• Stir all of the ingredients together.
• Lightly oil a baking sheet. 
• Slice the other lime.  Insert half of the lime slices in the fish.
• Rub the mixture on both sides of the fish.
• Cook for 30-35 minutes.
• Serve with a slice of lime and your choice of spanish rice.
• Enjoy!

I ate the front half (in my opinion the head is the tastiest part):

Kyle ate the other half:

The truth about this recipe is that while it was completely delicious, and tasted almost exactly the same as Tamarindos, I don't think I'll make it again.  For whatever reason, I don't get a ton of bones when I pull the fish off of the bone at Tamarindos, but at home, it became frustrating.  So yes, the flavors were there, I made it correctly, but obviously they know something that I don't.  Plus, the price of buying the fish was the same as getting it with some free margaritas at Tamarindos.  I think if I did choose to do this again, I'd make boneless filets instead.  I know that the bones add to the flavor, but having to give Laela a separate dinner because I was concerned she'd choke or something just wasn't worth it.

The moral of the story?  Just because you can make something that you love at a restaurant, does not always mean you should- and sometimes you don't know that until you give it a go yourself.

However, if you don't live near Tamarindos, or somewhere that makes whole red snapper rubbed in garlic and herbs, give this a try!  It really is delicious...just watch out for those nastly little bones...or better yet, make some boneless filets.