Barbecued lemongrass snapper with pomelo and herb salad

Name: Barbecued lemongrass snapper with pomelo and herb salad
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 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; 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

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.

Jan 29, 2018 6:36am

By Emma Knowles

Serves 6 - 8
30 mins preparation
50 mins cooking plus marinating

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.