Red Snapper Courtbouillon Recipe

Prepare shells and sausage

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells and heads and cook, stirring, until pink and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Remove shells and reserve. In the same pan, add the diced andouille or smoked sausage and brown lightly, about 3 minutes; remove sausage and set aside (leave rendered fat in pan).

Sweat the aromatics

Add diced onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper to the pan with the rendered fat. Cook over medium heat until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

Build the courtbouillon

Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells and heads back to the pan. Pour in 6 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water, scrape any browned bits from the bottom, and bring to a gentle simmer. Add white wine, diced tomato, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Simmer and strain

Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes to extract flavor from shells and aromatics. After simmering, remove from heat and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot, pressing on solids to extract liquids. Discard solids. Return strained broth to low heat to keep warm. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lemon juice as needed. Stir in chopped parsley.

Cook shrimp

Pat shrimp dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until just opaque and pink, about 1–2 minutes per side depending on size. Remove shrimp and keep warm. Add cooked shrimp and sliced browned sausage to the strained courtbouillon and keep the broth at a gentle simmer to marry flavors for 3–4 minutes before plating.

Prepare fillets

Pat fillets very dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score any thick skin surface lightly if necessary. Season skin and flesh with kosher salt and black pepper, pressing seasoning into the fillets. Let sit at room temperature 10 minutes while broth finishes.

Pan-sear skin-side down

Heat a large nonstick or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons neutral oil and swirl. Place fillets skin-side down in the pan, pressing gently with a spatula for 10–15 seconds to keep skin flat. Cook without moving until the skin is deep golden and crisp, about 4–5 minutes depending on thickness. Reduce heat if skin browns too quickly.

Finish fillets

Flip fillets and add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. As butter foams, spoon it over the tops of the fillets for 30–60 seconds to finish cooking—this takes about 1–2 minutes more, depending on thickness. The interior should be just cooked and flake easily. Transfer fillets to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil to rest 2 minutes.

Reheat courtbouillon to a gentle simmer. In warmed shallow bowls or wide rimmed soup plates, ladle 3/4 to 1 cup of the hot shrimp-and-sausage courtbouillon into the center of each bowl.

Place one crisp-skinned red snapper fillet on top of the broth in each bowl so the skin is up and visible. Spoon a few of the cooked shrimp and sliced sausage from the broth alongside the fillet for texture and color.

Garnish with remaining chopped parsley, microgreens or sliced scallions, and a lemon wedge. Serve immediately so the skin remains crisp and the broth hot.