A Hot Spicy Bake for Poppy
September 25th 2009 00:03
My dear pal Poppy loves Thai food (almost) as much as I do. It was a pity that we were not in Thailand at the same time, as I’m sure we would’ve sampled even more of that delectable cuisine – maybe that’s a good thing…
Since then, I’ve been experimenting with a number of recipes – all made up just because I felt that the ingredients would fuse together beautifully …and it does.
Seafood – especially along the coast of Thailand – is the star in a lot of Thai cooking; often with lots of herbs like lemongrass and Thai basil, and chillies.
Drawing inspiration from “The Land of a Thousand Smiles”, here’s my recipe for a Baked Thai Red Fish. It packs a rather mean punch but without being too overpowering, and then finds a lovely balance with the fresh lime juice and fresh herb garnish.
Happy Birthday Poppy!
What you need:
1 Red Snapper, 750g-1kg
1-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste – adjust according to your spice tolerance, the average is probably 1 tablespoon
2-3 fresh bird chillies
1 lime
some sliced ginger
some Thai Basil – enough for the marinade and garnish
some fresh coriander – for garnish
The Sauce
1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable stock
Some julienned ginger, and sliced lemongrass and chillies
What to do:
1…Have the fish scaled and gutted at the shop. Rinse under running water and pat dry with kitchen towel before use.
2…Cut a few slits on the body and salt all over – inside and out. Set aside.
3…Mix the curry paste with 1/4 cup of water (more if you prefer, and depending on the size of the fish). There should be enough to pour all over the fish including into its belly, and a tiny pool in your dish so that the fish doesn't *burn* in the oven. Marinate for at least 20-30 minutes.
4… Prepare the lemongrass (per this post) and slice some of it. Lightly bruise the rest – you can also cut one of the stalks in half (lengthwise).
5…Wash the Thai basil, coriander and chillies. Pluck the leaves off; and slice the chillies and ginger.
6…Place some of the chillies, ginger, basil and a stalk of lemongrass into the belly of the fish.
7…Scatter the rest of the herbs (except the coriander) under and over the fish – leaving some for the sauce.
8…Pre-heat oven at 180 C/350. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the fish and around the oven-proof dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Flip over and bake for another 20-30 minutes. To test if it’s cooked, poke through with a skewer, it should come out clean if it’s cooked.
9…While waiting for the fish to cook, prepare the sauce.
Sauté the chillies and ginger in a small pot, when fragrant, pour in the vegetable stock and add the lemongrass. Allow to simmer slowly for a few minutes. Turn off heat and salt to taste – you can use fish sauce if you like; I don’t because I don’t quite like it.
10…When fish is ready, you can remove the herbs if you prefer. Squeeze the remaining lime and pour the stock over to create a bit of sauce to go with the fish. Garnish with coriander and Thai basil. Serve immediately with plain steamed Jasmine rice.
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