Simply Grilled Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Even though there is little difference between my weekday and weekend routines, I do usually set aside the weekends to try my hand at the more difficult and involved recipes for dinner. But during the week, I almost always go with simple and quick recipes. One of our favorites is a recipe I created for simply grilled snapper with beurre blanc sauce that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish – how easy is that?!

I’ve spent the last two years working to master the art of cooking fish properly – it’s still a work in progress but I’m getting there! My two favorite methods for cooking fish include the sauté pan and the grill. And with fish, I NEVER make it too complicated but even then, I still manage to mess it up once in a while. My two biggest challenges in cooking fish correctly?

The first is the fish sticking to the grill grates or the pan. I’ve almost eliminated this problem by using a trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen – turn the burners on high, scrape the grates to remove any residue from past meals and then brush the grates with oil every 3-4 minutes until you hit the 15-minute mark. By then, the grates will have become the equivalent of “non-stick” and flipping or removing the fish is usually a piece of cake. And of course, you can always use a non-stick pan for the stovetop, but making sure the oil is really hot is the key to ensuring it doesn’t stick to the pan, regardless of whether you are using a regular or non-stick pan. Oh, and not turning it too soon before it’s had a chance to brown!

My second challenge is avoiding overcooking the fish. Laurie and I have a pretty wide window for temperatures for fish, but one thing we don’t like is fish cooked rare or medium rare (except for tuna of course!). So, I usually err on the side of caution to ensure its cooked through but still moist. I almost always get thicker cuts of fish right, but I still tend to overcook thin fish fillets like snapper. I end up constantly telling myself to take it off the grill or pan a minute before my gut tells me to – when I do that it usually turns out perfect!

I created this recipe when Laurie and I were living in our apartment down here in Sarasota while we were waiting for our house to be built. Laurie absolutely loves snapper (any color – red, yellow, or black) but yellow is her favorite so I always buy it when I can find it in the store. The original version of this recipe called for pan searing the fish (since we didn’t have a grill at our apartment!), but once we moved into our house, I tried grilling the fish and loved the grilled, slightly smoky flavor so I stuck with that method of cooking.

Then I made up a quick beurre blanc sauce, which is a sauce of French origins made up of warm emulsified butter along with white wine, lemon juice, and shallots. It’s rich and buttery, which makes it the perfect pairing partner for snapper, which is a light, flaky fish. I usually serve the fish on a bed of white or brown rice with sauteed or grilled vegetables on the side.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. And if you rarely eat fish or aren’t sure you like it, this is the perfect entry point recipe – I promise you’ll love it!

Simply Grilled Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce (Serves 4)

This is a quick and easy recipe for an elegant weeknight or weekend dinner. Snapper is our favorite white fish to use here, but you can also use cod, sea bass, or any other mild white fish – just make sure to adjust the cooking time for thicker fish fillets. Serve with white or brown rice and sauteed mixed vegetables, along with a lightly oaked or unoaked Chardonnay. 

Ingredients

4 6-8 oz. snapper fillets, skin removed

3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 recipe beurre blanc sauce (see recipe below)

Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

Heat the grill by turning all burners on high for 15 minutes with cover closed. While grill is heating up, oil grill grates by dipping a wadded-up paper towel into 2 tbsp. oil and rubbing on grill grates with tongs to hold the paper towel. Repeat two more times.

While the grill is pre-heating, rub the fish fillets with the remaining 1 tbsp. oil and season both sides of fish with salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the burners down to medium high and grill the fillets for 3-4 minutes with the grill cover closed. Flip the fillets and grill for another 2-3 minutes until the fish is translucent and just cooked through. Serve immediately with beurre blanc sauce and lemon wedges.

Beurre Blanc Sauce (Serves 4)

This classic French white wine sauce comes together quickly with just a few ingredients. It’s perfect for grilled our sauteed fish but would also work well with shrimp or chicken.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. diced shallots

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ cup dry white wine (I usually use Chardonnay or Pinot Gris)

¼ cup heavy cream

4 tbsp. cold butter

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the shallots and sauté, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes. Add the lime juice, lemon juice, and wine to the shallots, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to about 3 tbsp. of liquid. Add the heavy cream and simmer on low for about 2 minutes. Off heat, add the cold butter 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking constantly. Add a pinch of salt and serve immediately.