The Keys reef fish that appears on every serious Key West menu, usually pan-sautéed whole or filleted and finished with a fruit salsa, a citrus butter or a curry. Delicate, sweet and easy to overcook.

Yellowtail runs the reef line off the Keys year round and has been the local restaurant fish since long before the shrimp boats arrived. It is what Key West kitchens reach for when a menu says local catch, and each of the island's dining rooms treats it as a signature: Cafe Marquesa serves it crisp with shoestring potatoes, Seven Fish finishes it with a Thai curry sauce, and The Flaming Buoy Filet Co pairs it with banana salsa. The variation between those three plates is a fair summary of how Key West cooks: Caribbean fruit, Asian heat and old-school technique on the same fish.

Where to eat Yellowtail snapper in Key West

3 editor picks for Yellowtail snapper in Key West, ranked by editorial score. All Key West signature dishes · Yellowtail snapper across every city.

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Key West: Old Town Food Tour with 5+ Tastings

Explore Old Town Key West beyond Duval Street. Taste local favorites like conch fritters, Cuban bites, iced coffee, and Key lime pie, plus a delicious secret dish.

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Make it at home

Serves 430 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 yellowtail snapper fillets, skin on, about 170g each
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt, half tsp white pepper
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 2 key limes, juiced
  • 1 ripe mango, diced small
  • Half a red onion, finely diced
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and minced
  • Handful of coriander, chopped

Method

  1. Mix the mango, onion, chilli, coriander and half the lime juice. Season and leave to sit while you cook.
  2. Pat the fillets dry, then dust the skin side in seasoned flour and shake off the excess.
  3. Heat the oil in a wide pan until it shimmers. Lay the fillets skin down and press flat with a fish slice for 20 seconds.
  4. Cook 3 minutes without moving them, until the skin releases and is crisp.
  5. Turn, add the butter and the rest of the lime juice, and baste for 60 to 90 seconds.
  6. Lift onto plates skin up, spoon the pan butter over and serve the mango salsa alongside.

Editor tip. Yellowtail is a thin fish. Take it off the heat while the centre still looks slightly translucent, because it carries on cooking on the plate.

Common allergens: Fish, Dairy.