Snapper Family
[family Lutjanidae (Snappers)]
Snappers, particularly the Pacific Red Snapper, are very highly regarded as food fish and demand a premium price. For this reason various other fish, many not even in the Snapper family, are marketed as "Snapper" and even as "Red Snapper"..
More on Varieties of Fish (large page).
Red Snapper
Lots of fish are marketed under the name "Red Snapper", but some
aren't even in the family Lutjanidae and some aren't even red.
Listed below you'll find some with a legitimate claim to the name.
Crimson Snapper - [Lutjanus erythropterus]
This is what an Australian would probably have in mind as a Red Snapper.
This species inhabits the Indo-Pacific region and is both caught wild
and farmed. It can grow to 32 inches long but is commonly around 17
inches and farmed fish will be smaller. Not considered threatened.
Drawing by Sir Francis Day, copyright expired.
Jordan's Snapper - [Lutjanus jordani]
Mexico to Peru 23 inches Not considered threatened
New Zealand Snapper - Pink Snapper - see Squirefish This fish often sold in the U.S. as "Snapper" from New Zealand is actually a Porgy.
Northern Red Snapper - [Lutjanus
campechanus]
This popular fish is found in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Western
Atlantic coast to Massachusetts but is rare above North Carolina. It can
grow to 39 inches and 48 pounds. There have been reports of
ciguatera poisoning from eating this fish
from tropical reef environments. The body of this fish is deeper than
the Pacific Red Snapper and the face more tapered to a point. This fish
was badly over-fished, but the fishery is now better managed and
populations have been recovering. We presume the culinary characteristics
of this fish are very similar to its close relative, the Pacific Red
Snapper, so refer to Details and
Cooking for that fish. Drawing from Fishbase
distributed under license
Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported.
Pacific Red Snapper - [Lutjanus peru]
This true Red Snapper is found from Mexico to Peru in the Eastern
Pacific. It can get up to 37 inches long and up to almost 13 pounds but
the photo specimen was 15-1/4 inches and weighed 1 pound 14 ounces, a bit
larger than average market size. This snapper is a premium fish and fetches
a premium price. Pacific Red Snapper is IUCN rated NE (Not Evaluated)
and is not considered threatened.
Details and Cooking.
Lane Snapper - [Lutjanus peru]
This true Snapper is found in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and
West Atlantic from North Carolina to southern Brazil. It can grow to 24
and nearly 8 pounds but is commonly around 10 inches. The photo specimen
was 13 inches and weighed 14-5/8 ounces. This snapper is less well known
than the Pacific Red Snapper so sells at a significantly lower price
(in this case US $3.99 vs $6.49). There have been some reports of
ciguatera poisoning from eating this
fish caught in tropical reef environments. This fish.is IUCN rated NE
(Not Evaluated) and is not considered threatened.
Details and Cooking.
Cardinal Snapper -
[Pristipomoides macrophthalmus?]
This true Red Snapper is found from Mexico to Peru in the Eastern
Pacific. It can get up to 37 inches long and up to almost 13 pounds but
the photo specimen was 15-1/4 inches and weighed 1 pound 14 ounces, a bit
larger than average market size. This snapper is a premium fish and fetches
a premium price. Pacific Red Snapper is IUCN rated NE (Not Evaluated)
and is not considered threatened.
Details and Cooking.
Southern Red Snapper - [Lutjanus purpureus]
This snapper is native to the Caribbean to as far south as northern
Brazil but doesn't extend north into the Gulf of Mexico. It can grow to
about 39 inches 22 pounds. In appearance it is similar to the Northern
Red Snapper but has an oval darker spot on the lateral line near the
tail, which may fade in maturity. There have been reports of
ciguatera poisoning from eating this
fish from tropical reef environments Not considered threatened.
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