How to Fry a Whole Fish With Von Diaz | Video

Born in Puerto Rico and now based in North Carolina, Von Diaz draws on her deep knowledge of Caribbean cooking to prepare pescado frito, a dish emblematic of the tropics. A food journalist, historian, and radio producer, she has built a career tracing the throughlines of flavor, memory, and migration—an approach that comes into sharp focus in this video. Here, Diaz turns to pescado frito, a dish that feels at once deeply personal and globally familiar, drawn from her acclaimed cookbook, Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking. She frames the recipe not simply as a staple of Caribbean cooking, but as a unifying thread across the tropical world, where geography, climate, and culture converge in a single pan.

The recipe starts with a simple adobo, made by crushing whole garlic cloves with salt in a wooden pilón. The salt helps break the garlic down into a paste, forming the base of the marinade. From there, Diaz adds oregano, cumin, sazón, and a touch of saffron, followed by fresh lime juice. The result is a loose, aromatic paste that balances citrus, spice, and salt without requiring precise measurements.

The fish itself, a local vermilion snapper, underscores Diaz’s commitment to place. Fresh, whole, and intact, it’s prepared simply: scored along the body to prevent bursting and to allow the marinade to seep into every bite. She insists on keeping the tail, a small but telling detail that speaks to respect for the ingredient and the pleasure of texture. The adobo is rubbed generously inside and out, transforming the fish into a vessel of layered flavor.

For cooking, she heats about an inch or two of vegetable oil in a cast iron pan to roughly 350 degrees. The fish is placed carefully into the hot oil, where it begins to crisp immediately. Rather than fully submerging it, Diaz bastes the fish with hot oil as it cooks, helping it brown evenly. A large fish spatula makes it easier to flip without breaking the fish, though she notes that basic tools will work as well.

The finished dish is crisp on the outside and tender inside, served simply with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. It’s a dish that doesn’t ask for much but delivers deeply: bright citrus, warm spice, and the unmistakable richness of perfectly fried fish. In Diaz’s hands, pescado frito is a story of connection, simplicity, and the enduring power of cooking close to the source.

Make the Recipe

Video Produced by Maggie Ward

Von Diaz’s Pescado Frito

yields

2 servings

for the adobo


• 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
  

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  

• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
  

• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
  

• 1⁄4 teaspoon store-bought or
  

• homemade sazón
  

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  

• 
  

for the fish


• 1 (1 1⁄2- to 2-pound) red snapper, cleaned, scaled and gilled
  

• 1 1⁄2 quarts vegetable oil
  

• Lime wedges, hot sauce and chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
  

steps

1. Prepare the adobo: Combine all the adobo ingredients and grind them together in a large pilón or mortar and pestle, or simply mix them together in a small bowl.
2. Prepare the fish: Make three shallow crosswise cuts on both sides of the surface of the fish skin, then place it in a deep container with a lid or a large resealable bag. Pour adobo over, rubbing it into the skin, head and cavity. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. If marinating longer, let the fish come to room temperature 30 minutes before frying.
3. In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot large enough to submerge your fish, pour in enough oil to reach a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat over high until oil is simmering and reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
5. Once the oil comes to temperature, pick the marinated fish up by the tail, shake off excess marinade, and lower it head-first into simmering oil. Use a pair of tongs to gently nudge the fish to prevent it from sticking to the pot. It’ll be very active at first, so have a splatter shield handy, if you’ve got one.
6. Using a heat-safe ladle, baste any unsubmerged fish with hot oil repeatedly, ensuring fish cooks evenly. Fry until it turns golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes, watching carefully and removing immediately if it starts to get dark.
7. Using an extra-long fish spatula, or a set of heatproof tongs and a heatproof spatula, carefully lift the fish out of the oil and transfer it to the lined baking sheet.
8. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges, hot sauce and cilantro.

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