Red Snapper Grilled in Banana Leaves
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 929
- Total Fat
- 41
- Saturated Fat
- 14
- Carbohydrates
- 51
- Dietary Fiber
- 9
- Sugar
- 26
- Protein
- 93
- Cholesterol
- 157
- Sodium
- 1801
- Total: 1 hr
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh mint
2 Thai bird chile peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 scallion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
For the Fish:
3 or 4 large banana leaves (at least 24 inches long), rinsed
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 large whole red snapper (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cleaned and scaled
Kosher salt
1 lime, sliced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins
4 Thai bird chile peppers, halved lengthwise
4 sprigs cilantro
4 sprigs mint
Directions
Special equipment:
kitchen twine and a large spatula- Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, mint, chiles, ginger, scallion, coconut, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and pulse to make a coarse paste. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, vegetable oil and fish sauce and blend to make a smooth, slightly thick sauce. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the fish: Preheat a grill to medium high. Lay the banana leaves on a work surface, overlapping each about halfway, so the leaves are large enough to wrap around the fish, with the tail and head sticking out slightly. Lightly brush the banana leaves with vegetable oil. Cut three 24-inch pieces of kitchen twine and run under water to moisten (this will prevent the twine from burning on the grill).
- Make 2 or 3 slits crosswise on each side of the fish, cutting about 1/2 inch into the flesh. Season the fish inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt total. Stuff the lime and ginger slices, chiles, and cilantro and mint sprigs into the cavity of the fish. Set the fish at one short end of the banana leaves and roll it up, leaving the head and tail sticking out, then tie together in 3 places with the kitchen twine.
- Once the grill registers 425˚ F to 450˚ F, grill the fish until the banana leaves are charred, about 12 minutes. Flip and grill until the fish is cooked through, 12 to 14 more minutes. (Because the fish is wrapped, it is difficult to test for doneness. The juices will run clear from the head and gills when poked.) Let the fish rest 5 minutes, then untie and remove the banana leaves. Lift the flesh from the bones and serve with the cilantro-mint sauce.
Cook’s Note
Overlap the banana leaves to create one large surface for the fish. Once you wrap the fish, tie it with damp twine — dry twine can burn on the grill.