FISH OF THE DAY MANGROVE SNAPPER

FISH OF THE DAY MANGROVE SNAPPER!

The mangrove snapper, ( Lutjanus griseus) is a species of snapper found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including brackish and fresh waters. Mangrove Snapper or in some circles the Gray Snapper is at the top of most list as far as table fare. The Mangrove Snapper is greyish red in color but sometimes of the year are a bright red or copper color a lot of that depends on the water and the habitat they are caught in. The Mangrove has a dark stripe running across the eye; it is most noticeable if you look down at the fish. The Mangrove can get up to 35 inch, though most fish are harvested inshore and do not exceed 16 inches. The largest on record is 44 lb. and can be caught offshore. The Mangrove Snapper names comes from the fact that they like the mangrove islands and can be caught in the holes and structure in the channels that run through the Mangrove areas and feed on much the same diet as the redfish and snook. These fish are very powerful for their size and are plentiful and it is not unusual to find large schools and catch 50-100 fish in the right hole. They are a great species for taking beginning anglers and younger anglers because of the action and fun of catching a lot of fish in 8-20ft of water.

 

TACKLE BOX: Inshore—spinning and casting gear are best and with Live bait rigs. The Mangrove Snapper likes to feed on live shrimp, live minnows, fiddler crabs, cut shrimp, cut squid or cut baitfish. Mangrove Snapper can also be caught on lures, along mangrove shorelines or around snag and structure. Top Water plugs like popping lures and sometimes even flies catch Mangrove Snapper. At Wahoo we like to use jigs and small shrimp flies or streamers. Offshore Mangrove use heavier spinning and baitcasting tackle, and light ocean tackle, like the Catcher Boat rod, Catcher Bait Pitch Spinning rod, or for the sportsman who likes the challenge use a 10-20 Medium Heavy rod like the Hella- Bomb, Use Rod and  live rig with live small fish, such as Pilchards and Sardines, live shrimp, cut squid, cut crab and cut fish. Mangrove Snapper rarely get above 14″ so just about any inshore gear will work very well, from ultra-light spinning to bait casting gear. Snapper are feed by sight and have excellent eyes. Because of this eyesight smaller hooks and lighter leaders are often required and be prepared for these toothy fish to steal some bait.  A good leader in the 12-18inch length and a 1/0 circle hook is recommended.  Use only the amount of lead needed to get the bait into the strike zone, larger weights will cause snagging because they love to get into roots and underwater structure. Remember mangrove shore lines, piers, docks and bridges, find any of these and current mangrove are not far away. Wahoo has many tips and you can email us with any questions and we will send you back some tips and techniques. One of the most important is lighter weight, as light as you can so you have feel match that with a sensitive Rod and you will hook up once you locate the tasty Mangrove Snapper.

 

Mangrove Recipe:

Minutes to Prepare: 20

Minutes to Cook: 15

Number of Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

4 (4 ounce) fillets red snapper
2 mandarin oranges, juiced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 mandarin oranges - peeled and chopped
1/3 cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (225 degrees C).
2. 2. Arrange the snapper fillets in a single layer in the bottom of a lightly greased shallow baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the mandarin orange juice, lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix in the red pepper flakes, ginger and chopped mandarin oranges. Pour over the snapper in the dish.

3. Bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is opaque. Transfer fillets to serving plates and spoon the sauce over them. Garnish with a sprinkle of cashews and green onion.

 

Recipe Provided by: IDOSCUBA