Yellowtail Snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Coral reefs and hard bottom from South Florida through the Caribbean. Smaller and faster-growing than red snapper.
Contaminant load: Lower load
Flavor Profile
Delicate, sweet, and clean — the finest of the small snappers and a Florida Keys staple.
Texture & Preparation
Fine, tender flake with a light firmness.
Cooking Methods
💡 Chef's Insight
Yellowtail is the Keys fish — sweeter and more delicate than red snapper, and best cooked whole and crisp. The classic conch-town treatment: scale and score a whole fish, dredge in seasoned flour, and deep-fry until the skin crackles and the fins snap, then serve upright with lime, black beans, yellow rice, and hot sauce. For fillets, keep it fast and gentle: dry them well, sear skin-side down in clarified butter for two minutes, flip for thirty seconds, and finish with brown butter, lime, and cilantro. Because the flesh is sweet and clean, it also makes exceptional ceviche — small dice, lime juice, red onion, habanero with restraint, and cilantro, cured just fifteen minutes so the texture stays silky.
Safety Context
One of the lower-concern reef fish thanks to small size and rapid growth. Where relevant, note ciguatoxin risk from some tropical reef systems — it isn't destroyed by cooking, so buy from reputable sources and heed local reef warnings. Otherwise a good regular choice.
Primary Contaminants
Low mercury — a small, quick-growing reef snapper. Ciguatoxin is a consideration in some tropical reef areas.
Similar Alternatives
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Find the advisory that applies
This profile describes the species. Recommended consumption frequency depends on where the fish came from — the Water to Table Advisor™ locates the official advisory for your water and household.