A few nights ago we were invited to a friend’s birthday celebration. With all celebrations in Sardinia the food was endless, and well, big.
On the table before us sat a beautiful 12 pound Sardinian Snapper. In Italian this fish is appropriately called dentice, the root of the word denti means teeth, and this snapper was full of them.
Sardinian Red Snapper - Dentice
Never in my life have I seen a fish so big and never in my life had I partaken in eating a fish this size.
Dentice or snapper are known for their peculiar large teeth and massive heads. The body is tall, broad and compressed. The dorsal fin is pinkish in colour. Dentice can reach one meter in length and weigh up to 26 pounds or 12 kilos. Their delicate sweet meat is top choice for fish-eating lovers.
Oven Baked Sardinian Dentice
Dentice are found swimming in the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and in the Eastern Atlantic. They are jam-packed with proteins and oodles of vitamin A.
There are plenty of ways to cook this type of fish: grilled, steamed, broiled, poached or fried.
This fish was oven baked with potatoes, tomatoes, lemon and black olives. Once the cavity is gutted, they placed garlic, salt, parsley, basil and lemon inside the cavity. The scales are left on to aid with moisture retention while cooking.
Sardinian Red Snapper
Still wondering how to eat a 12 pound Sardinian Snapper?
Just dig in, and enjoy.
Have you ever see or eaten a fish this size? Tell me your fish story.
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OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, that is what I said!
Something’s fishy about this post. Can’t put my finger on what.
Sunday, November 27th
I just found your site today to which I have subscribed… I know so little about Sardinia so I’m excited to learn more, though I just bought a Sardinian cookbook which is allowing me to understand your people (and delicious food!!) much better. Thanks for your wonderful site, I’m looking forward to being educated about your island.
“How to Eat a 12lb Sardinian Snapper?” Easy….one bite at a time. : )
Great post! The snapper looks delicious! How long have you lived on Italy?
3.5yrs!
Looks yummy. 🙂
Great photos, they make my mouth water! I love fish dishes!
Great title! Those shots creep me out though…
That is huge. The face was intimidating.
I am a committed fish eater. I love it. My last meal will be fish ‘n’ chips ( I am English). This meal looks like heaven to me. I would have just loved it. Next time I’m Med-travelling I’m going to look out for this. 🙂
that photo of the teeth is kind of scary
What a great fish and i guess a great meal to 🙂
My father used to go fishing every weekend when I was growing up. We loved at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. He used to catch huge snapper, but they were a bit different. They were reef fish. We had a barbecue on the beach every Sunday afternoon and cooked whatever fish had been caught. I still love snapper.