Lane Snapper

Another species you can catch in the early winter months in our area is lane snapper. These fish can be found near structures. They tend to feed off the bottom on crustaceans and smaller fish. Lane snappers are a silvery-pink to red in color with short irregular pink and yellow lines on their sides. They have a diffuse black spot near their dorsal fin and their outer colors are black. Most lane snappers weigh less than a pound but anglers can catch up to a five pound fish in deeper waters.

Try this recipe for Snapper Almondine.

Ingredients:
4 (6 oz.) snapper filets
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup rice flour
¼ cup butter
½ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
parsley spring for garnish, optional

Sprinkle fillets with seasonings then dredge in flour. Melt butter in shallow skillet over medium-high heat; add fillets and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove fillets from skillet and keep warm. Add almonds to butter in the skillet; cook until almonds are browned. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Spoon sauce over cooked fillets and garnish with fresh parsley.