Name: Barbecued lemongrass snapper with pomelo and herb salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 - 8
Ingredients: 4 long red chillies, coarsely chopped; 40 gm ginger, coarsely chopped; 10 gm makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve; 8 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 shallots, coarsely chopped; 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), thinly sliced; 50 ml vegetable oil, plus extra for drizzling; 1 large snapper (about 2.8kg), skin slashed; Pomelo and herb salad; 2 small red chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 1 1⁄2 tbsp crushed palm sugar; 60 ml lime juice (1⁄4 cup); 60 ml fish sauce (1⁄4 cup); 1 cup coriander; 1 cup mint; 1 cup thai basil; 2 red shallots, thinly sliced; 1⁄2 pomelo or grapefruit, broken into pieces

Barbecued lemongrass snapper with pomelo and herb salad

A whole roasted fish is a fuss-free way to cook seafood for a crowd. We like to marinate the fish overnight so the flavour gets right into the flesh, plus it means one less thing to do on the day.

Serves 6 - 8

Prep

30M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 20M

A whole roasted fish is a fuss-free way to cook seafood for a crowd. We like to marinate the fish overnight so the flavour gets right into the flesh, and it’s one less thing to do on the day. The salad dressing can be made a day ahead, have the herbs ready and stored in an airtight container, steam some rice and you’re good to go.

Ingredients

4 long red chillies, coarsely chopped

40 gm ginger, coarsely chopped

10 gm makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve

8 garlic cloves, chopped

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), thinly sliced

50 ml vegetable oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 large snapper (about 2.8kg), skin slashed

Pomelo and herb salad

2 small red chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 1⁄2 tbsp crushed palm sugar

60 ml lime juice (1⁄4 cup)

60 ml fish sauce (1⁄4 cup)

1 cup coriander

1 cup mint

1 cup thai basil

2 red shallots, thinly sliced

1⁄2 pomelo or grapefruit, broken into pieces

Method

1.Process chilli, ginger, lime leaves, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, coriander roots, oil and 2 tsp sea salt in a food processor to a paste. Rub inside the fish cavity and spread thickly over fish, massaging into incisions. Cover and marinate for at least three hours or overnight.

2.Preheat oven to 220°C or heat a hooded barbecue to high. Place fish on an oven tray lined with oiled foil and drizzle with a little extra oil. Roast until flesh flakes easily (45-50 minutes).

3.For pomelo and herb salad, pound chilli, garlic and palm sugar to a paste with a mortar and pestle. Stir in 1 tbsp hot water, then add lime juice and fish sauce – check seasoning and adjust the balance of hot, sour, sweet and salty to taste. Store in an airtight container until required. Just before serving, combine herbs, shallot and pomelo in a bowl, drizzle with dressing and toss to combine.

4.To serve, squeeze lime over snapper and scatter with salad.