ROCK STEADY HAITIAN FRIED SNAPPER

Jacob Thomas of Rock Steady shared the restaurant’s recipe for fried snapper, a dish he says is probably the most popular item on their menu.

We started with a snapper that weighed just over 2 pounds. Removing the fins and spine gave us about a little more than a pound and a half of fish, including the head. When you remove the head after serving, the yield is about a pound of fish.

To re-create the look of a swimming fish, as they serve this at Rock Steady, you’ll need to curl the fish into a circle as you place it in the oil, and have a cooking container that will help it hold that shape. At the restaurant, a deep fryer basket does that work for them. Vegetable oil, for frying

1 whole snapper, fins and spine removed

(about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon Seafood Seasoning, or to

taste (see recipe, right)

1 1/2 tablespoons Epise (see recipe,

above right)

1/2 cup Gluten-Free Flour Mix (see recipe,

right)

Pikliz, for serving (see recipe, above

right)

In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees.

Rub outside of snapper with Seafood Seasoning. Spread Epise on the inside of the fish. Coat both sides of snapper with Flour Mix. Submerge the fish completely in the oil. Cook 7 to 9 minutes or until fish is golden brown. Drain fish and serve with pikliz.

Serves 4.

Per serving: 227 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 24 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 42 milligrams cholesterol, 218 milligrams sodium.

CONTRIBUTED BY CHRIS HUNT PHOTOGRAPHY STYLING BY CHRISTIAN LUCKE BELL / Rock Steady Haitian Fried Snapper, shown here with coconut rice, might be the most popular item on the restaurant’s menu. If you’re making it at home, it is possible to re-create the swimming fish look.