Asian-Style Snapper
A wonderful recipe from our very first book.
“This Asian-style fish is what connects us to our new life in Australia – broadening our palates to embrace flavours from the East. This recipe combines Asian flavours with a method for cooking fish that we learnt while on holidays in Portugal many years ago.” – Cathy Milwidsky in ‘Monday Morning Cooking Club – the food, the stories, the sisterhood‘.
Asian-Style Snapper
Ingredients
The Sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 3 whole limes juiced
- 1 lime, finely zested
- 1 stalk lemongrass (stalk) bottom third and tender leaves only, very finely chopped
- 1 knob ginger grated
- 1 bunch coriander stalks and roots only, cleaned and chopped
- 1-2 whole red chillies seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp grated palm sugar or brown sugar
The Fish
- 2.5 kg whole snapper (or ocean trout, red emperor), butterflied
- coriander leaves, finely chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Put all the sauce ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan on the stovetop and simmer, covered, on a low heat for around 30 minutes, or until it thickens. If not using immediately, set aside until needed. Gently reheat before pouring over the BBQ'd fish.
- Preheat a barbecue to hot. Put the fish on the barbecue, flesh side down, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until a crust forms on the underside. Using two large slides, turn the fish over so it is now cooking with the skin side down. Cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked at the thickest part. Place on a serving plate (you can remove the fillets from the bone, or serve on the bone) and while it is hot, pour over the hot sauce. Garnish with the coriander.
- Note: You can substitute fish fillets for the whole fish if you prefer.
