Name: Barbecued turmeric snapper with sambal matah
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Juice of 1 lemon; 2 baby snapper, skin slashed (about 750gm each); 4 garlic cloves; 30 gm fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped; For drizzling: grapeseed oil; Sambal matah; 1 tsp belacan (see note); 4 red or golden shallots, thinly sliced; 4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced; 3 each red and green birdseye chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste; 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), thinly sliced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; Juice of 2 limes

Barbecued turmeric snapper with sambal matah

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for barbecued turmeric snapper with sambal matah.

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

10M

Total

30M

Cooking whole fish on the barbecue is one of the great joys of summer. For this simple Indonesian-inspired version, most of the prep is in the spicy sambal. Serve with steamed rice and a crunchy bean sprout salad.

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon

2 baby snapper, skin slashed (about 750gm each)

4 garlic cloves

30 gm fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped

For drizzling: grapeseed oil

Sambal matah

1 tsp belacan (see note)

4 red or golden shallots, thinly sliced

4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

3 each red and green birdseye chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste

2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), thinly sliced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Juice of 2 limes

Method

Main

1.Heat barbecue to high heat. Pour lemon juice over fish, rubbing into cavities and incisions. Finely chop garlic and turmeric in a small food processor with 1 tsp sea salt, spread over fish and set aside.

2.For sambal matah, enclose belacan in foil and roast on a barbecue or in a hot oven until pungent (2-3 minutes). Crumble into a bowl, add remaining ingredients, season to taste with salt and set aside.

3.Wipe excess marinade from fish, drizzle with a little oil, then barbecue, turning occasionally, until cooked through (8-10 minutes). Serve hot with sambal matah.