Recipe of the week
Barbecued Snapper Parcels
This Pacific-inspired dish is just the ticket for an impress-yourguests barbecue. We used banana leaves to wrap these marinated fish parcels. If you can’t find them (look for frozen packs in Asian food stores if you don’t have a tree), use a double thickness of foil, sprayed with oil. To make the leaves more pliable, heat them in a hot oven for a minute or two or blanch briefly in boiling water before use.
❚ 2 stems lemongrass, tough outer removed, coarsely chopped
❚ 1 lime, juice and zest
❚ 1 thumb ginger, coarsely chopped
❚ 1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
❚ 2 tsp fish sauce
❚ 1 tsp caster sugar
❚ 1⁄4 cup coconut milk
❚ 1 small bunch of coriander
❚ 4 snapper fillets, medium-sized, skinned and boned
❚ 2 large banana leaves
❚ 4 slices of lime
❚ 4 kaffir lime leaves
Place lemongrass, lime juice and zest, ginger, chilli, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk and coriander in a food processor and process well. Place fish in a non-reactive dish and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Remove spines from banana leaves and cut leaves into large rectangles. Place a fish fillet on each piece of banana leaf. Top with a slice of lime and a kaffir lime leaf. Fold leaves over fish to form a package, ensuring fish has at least 2 layers of leaf. Secure with a metal skewer or soaked wooden skewer, toothpick or string.
Place on a preheated barbecue and cook about 4 minutes per side (cooking time will depend on the size of the fillets).
Serves 4