TEA AND SPICE SMOKED BABY SNAPPER

Prep time 45 mins + refrigeration Cooking time 20 mins Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 whole baby snapper (about 400g each), scaled and cleaned 40g fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 125ml apple juice

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

100g jasmine rice

110g brown sugar

2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns

½ cup jasmine tea leaves Vegetable oil, for greasing and frying 1 fresh small red chili, finely chopped 2 bunches water spinach, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths 125ml Chinese black vinegar

½ cup thinly sliced shallots

½ cup fresh coriander leaves

METHOD

Wash snapper in cold water and pat-dry; score flesh 4-5 times on each side. Place ginger, garlic, apple juice, soy sauce and sesame oil in a glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold the fish. dd fish and turn to coat.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning once. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Place a bamboo steamer on top, add fish and steam 3-4 mins or until cooked halfway; remove. Combine rice, sugar, peppercorns and tea leaves in a bowl. Line a large wok with two layers of foil and place mixture on top. Grease a round rack that fits inside the wok with a little vegetable oil and place over smoking mix. Heat wok over high heat. When mixture is smoking, place snapper on rack and cover wok with a tight-fitting lid or foil. Reduce heat to medium and smoke for 5-6 mins or until snapper is golden and just cooked through. Remove to serving plate. Leave foil withe smoking mixture under a strong exhaust or take outside until smoke dissipates. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to wok or frying pan and heat over high heat. Flash-fry chilli and water spinach until just wilted. Serve with snapper, black vinegar, shallots and coriander.