Nothing says summer like a delicious plate full of fish! Bursting with nutrients and flavor, this Simple Herbed Red Drum will be sure to please your tummy and taste-buds.
A little fishy love.
I’ve always loved fish, but I’ve never had the patience to sit there and wait for it to bite my line while fishing. My husband, on the other hand, can sit for hours staring at nothing fishing. But he’s never been too interested in actually eating the fish!
In fact, when we got married, there wasn’t a fish I could name that he liked. Not even my most beloved salmon. Thankfully, he’s very patient, and I’m very persistent when it comes to foods. A few years later, he would eat any fish I would put in front of him, with the exception of tuna.
I take that back, he does actually love my Chipotle Lime Tuna Quinoa Wraps. But that’s just because they have quinoa in them and he’ll devour anything with that special ingredient.
Won’t you be my neighbor…
Two of my five kids inherited his love for fishing, and two of them inherited his dislike for tuna. But they all love every other kind of fish I serve them. Including red drum.
Before I go any further, disclaimer: no one in my family actually caught this fish. My neighbors (who have a boat and apparently more patience and free time) caught this and gave it to us. In fact, most of the fish we eat either comes from neighbors, my friend’s grandpa, or Costco.
The only time we ever ate fish that someone in my family caught was last month when my daughters each caught two tiny little blue gills and made us gut and fillet them for dinner. I was very glad I already had beans soaking for that experience… You can read about that over on my Instagram account. It was quite the fishing trip.
Simple Herbed Red Drum.
But anyway, if you’re new to fishdom or simply don’t know what red drum is, let me enlighten you. ‘Cause I know you’re dying to be enlightened. Which is kinda a creepy sentence, but bear with me…
Red drum (also known as channel or spottail bass, or redfish, if you were wondering [you probably weren’t]) is a mildly sweet fleshed saltwater fish that can be found along the southeastern and central coasts of the North America, Central America, and Brasil. It’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, but has a good amount of omega-6, as well. It is also rich in vitamin A, phosphorus, and potassium, and of course is a good source of protein.
It’s a pretty easy-to-make fish. As long as you get it pre-gutted and skinned, I guess! And like most fishes, I love slathering it in butter and garlic. ‘Cause every savory dish tastes better with butter and garlic on it! And herbs are always a good call, too. The thyme, dill, and parsley work well together here, but if you don’t have one of those, feel free to experiment!
Other fishy favorites.
If you love seafood, you’ll be sure to enjoy these recipes as well…
- Baked Trout with Lemon, Garlic & Onion
- Easy Baked Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Garlic & Dill Baked Flounder in Browned Butter
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks! 😉
Simple Herbed Red Drum
Free of grain, gluten, eggs, sugar, with dairy-free option.
Ingredients
- 6 fillets of red drum
- 1/4 c. butter, ghee, or avocado oil
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1/4 t. thyme
- 1/4 t. dill
- 1/2 t. parsley
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 and line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper (optional, just helps with cleanup). Place fish fillets on prepared pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. When simmering, stir in the garlic. Remove from heat and pour over fish.
Sprinkle fish with herbs.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending how thick your fillets are, or until flakey and fragrant.
What fish can be used in place of red drum. The other fish you mentioned are not available. Thank you.
I would use cod or flounder in place of the red drum. You could even use salmon. This recipe is pretty flexible to any firm-fleshed fish. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
I can’t wait to make this! I am not always the best with fish and this helps!
I hope you enjoy it, Melissa! It’s so easy and yummy. 🙂
I have never heard of red drum! Just pinned to my Whole 30 board!
Thanks Linda! I hope you get a chance to enjoy its deliciousness!
We eat a lot of fish at my house. Thanks for this simple but tasty recipe!
It’s fun to try a new twist.. Have never had this fish, but will make with trout or pickerel.
YUM!
I think it would work with trout, I’ve never tried pickerel, though. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!