Go Back
+ servings

Red Snapper with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

I did not hesitate to cook this Poached Red Snapper with Chickpeas and Tomatoes because the dish had all the ingredients I needed in my pantry and refrigerator. It took less than an hour to cook. Use a whole fish or fillets if preferred. This is an ideal all-in-one meal for a family dinner or any weeknight. This was inspired by a recipe from The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen by Samantha Ferraro (Page Street Publishing Co. 2018). Serves 2 to or up to 4 if served with rice.
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Fish, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: Red Snapper with chickpeas and tomatoes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 219kcal
Author: Asian in America

Equipment

  • Large Skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds whole Red Snapper cleaned, scales and intestines removed (or use fillets)
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole white or yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled, minced
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 whole tomato sliced
  • 1 cup canned, drained chickpeas or garbanzos
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 whole fresh lemon zested, sliced thin, seeds removed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 2 sprigs fresh dill
  • for serving steamed rice

Instructions

  • Wash the whole fish inside and out with cold, running water.
    If using fillets, do the same. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil. When oil is hot enough in 1 to 2 minutes, add the white onions and sauté for 2 minutes till translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more till it is fragrant.
  • To the skillet, add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and chickpeas. Combine all the ingredients well. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors set.
  • Pour the wine and broth to the ingredients. Blend well.
  • Add the fish to the center of the skillet. Make sure it is nestled well with the ingredients.
  • Place the sliced lemon, lemon zest, oregano and dill on top of the fish.
  • Cover the entire skillet. Continue cooking over a low simmer for 20 minutes till the fish for this amount (2 pounds) is cooked.
    *Note: If cooking a larger amount of fish, cooking times vary.
  • When fish is cooked, place on a large serving platter. Spoon the tomato sauce-based broth over the fish. Garnish with the rest of the ingredients all around the platter. Serve with steamed rice.
  • Cooking Tips: When buying a whole snapper or any fish from the market, I ask the fish monger to clean and scale it for me. At times, if the recipe calls for it, I ask them to fillet the fish, too. Take advantage of this free service from the fish market which makes cooking easier.
  • Cook’s comments: In the cookbook, the author used halibut. Samantha suggests if halibut is not available, use any other mild fish like cod, tilapia, sea bass or salmon. Cooking time will be less if fish cuts are thinner. She also used fillets in her recipe. I chose to use a whole red snapper because it was what I just purchased in the fish market. Cook the fish the same day it is purchased for best results.
  • About the Author: Samantha Ferraro is the founder of the food blog The Little Ferraro Kitchen. Her recipes have been featured on PBS Food, the Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Babble, Yummly, and the Washington Post. She has also been the Los Angeles Times Food Holiday Baking Winner. Her new cookbook is available where most books are sold or right now via my Amazon affiliate link above this blog post.
  • Product Disclosure: I was not paid to review or mention the cookbook. My opinions are my own.
  • Hello, Friends! All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and  recipe content I wrote, on your website,books, films, television shows or videos  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video, news article,or media outlets mentioned above please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1616mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1399IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg