Best Whole Roast Fish With Lemongrass And Ginger Recipes

BAKED SEA BASS WITH LEMONGRASS & GINGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Wash the sea bass inside and out, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Score across the fish and through the skin 4-5 times on each side, then lay the fish on a large piece of oiled foil, big enough to wrap it up loosely.
• Put the lemongrass, chillies, garlic and ginger into a mortar with the honey and 1 tbsp of the oil. Squeeze in the juice of one of the limes. Bash a few times with the pestle until everything's bruised - there's no need to grind it finely.
• Season the fish inside and out. Scrape out half the pounded mixture over the fish, add the last of the oil and rub everything in, making sure you push some into the cuts.
• Cut the second lime into quarters and push two pieces into the cavity along with the remainder of the pounded mixture. Fold each kaffir lime leaf in half and tear out the central vein to give you two halves. Push these into the cavity, too.
• Squeeze the juice from the last two lime quarters over the fish and pull the sides of the foil up to create a loose parcel. Crimp the edges to seal, making sure there is some space around the fish.
• Bake for 25 minutes. If you're eating the fish straight away, let it rest for about 5 minutes before opening the parcel. If you're taking it to a picnic, wrap it in another layer of foil the minute it's out of the oven.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH WITH LEMONGRASS, CHILES AND COCONUT

Steps:

• Season cavities and outside of fish with salt and pepper. Rub skin all over with coconut oil.
• Thinly slice 1 lime and 1 shallot. Cut another lime into wedges and save for garnish. Fill each fish cavity with lime and shallot slices, a handful of cilantro stems (discard the rest) and the lemongrass.
• Prepare the sauce: Coarsely chop the remaining shallot and juice the remaining lime. In a mini food processor, combine shallot, 1 tablespoon lime juice, the cilantro leaves, the mint, the chile, the garlic, the fish sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until herbs are chopped, then add coconut milk and oil. Continue to pulse until a coarse, chunky sauce forms. (Don't overdo it; you want a relish-like texture, not a purée.) Taste and add more salt, fish sauce and/or lime juice if necessary. (Alternatively, chop everything really finely by hand and stir in the coconut milk and lime juice.) Sauce can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate until needed.
• Light or heat the grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in basket and grill until blistered and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Poke the fish along the spine; it should be tender but still juicy.) Serve, garnished with lime wedges and mint leaves, with sauce on the side.

WHOLE ROAST FISH WITH LEMONGRASS AND GINGER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the body and inside of the fish dry, and space the fish evenly apart on an unlined sheet pan. Using a sharp knife, cut two diagonal slits, 2 inches apart, into the skin of each fish, making sure not to cut through to the bone. Repeat the slits on the other side. Drizzle both sides and the inside of the fish with 3 tablespoons oil, and season with the 1 1/2 tablespoons salt.
• Working in batches if necessary, transfer the lemongrass to the bowl of an asanka or a mortar. Use the pestle to pound the lemongrass pieces until crushed and fragrant. Move the crushed pieces to one side of the mortar bowl or the asanka. Add the ginger pieces and repeat the pounding process until they're crushed. Combine the ginger and the lemongrass. Add the scallion greens and scotch bonnet chile. Use the pestle to crush and combine these with the lemongrass mixture. Add the shallot and zest of 1 lemon, crush and combine with the pestle. Stir in the turmeric and coconut milk. (Makes about 1 1/4 cup marinade.) Alternatively, you can do this step in a food processor. Add in the ingredients in the order listed, and pulse them all together. Stir in the turmeric and coconut milk.
• Slice the zested lemon into 3 or 4 rounds. Spread the marinade generously over both sides of each fish and about 2 tablespoons into each cavity. Place a lemon slice, the white end of a scallion and some cilantro sprigs in each cavity. (At this point, the fish can be left to marinate for up to 30 minutes, or covered and refrigerated overnight.) Drizzle the tops of the fish with the remaining oil.
• Roast the fish until firm and cooked through, rotating the sheet pan once halfway through the process, about 22 to 25 minutes. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges. Serve the fish over steamed rice or alongside a hearty salad, with the lemon wedges for squeezing.

ROAST FISH WITH CHICKPEAS & GINGER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a deep, ovenproof frying pan, tip in the 7-spice and sizzle for a moment. Add the ginger and chilli, give it a stir, then add the chickpeas, stirring to coat them with the spices. Pour in the tomatoes, season to taste and bring to the boil.
• Season the fish and place on top of the chickpea mix, skin side down. Splash some of the sauce over the fish, then roast for 12 mins, or until the fish flakes when gently pressed. Scatter over the coriander and serve.

ROAST SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN WITH LEMONGRASS, HONEY & FISH SAUCE

Steps:

• To spatchcock the chicken, put the bird on the worktop, breast-side down, with the legs pointing towards you. Using good kitchen scissors, cut through the flesh and bone along both sides of the backbone (and either side of the parson's nose). Remove the backbone and keep it for stock (freeze until you've gathered a few). Turn over the chicken, then flatten it by pressing hard on the breastbone with the heel of your hand - you'll feel it breaking and flattening under your hand. Remove any big globules of fat and neaten any ragged bits of skin.
• To make the marinade, remove and discard the coarse outer layer of leaves and the green tips from the lemongrass. Chop the pale inner core finely, then pound using a pestle and mortar with the garlic, ginger and chillis. Transfer to a bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients. Put the chicken in a dish that will fit in your fridge. Gently loosen the skin on the breast, then work your fingers in between the skin and the flesh, including the legs. Spoon some of the marinade under the skin, then spread more marinade all over the chicken (use no more than half the marinade in total at this point). Cover the bird with cling film and chill in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting-tin in which it fits snugly (if there's too much room around the bird, the marinade will burn). Scrape all the marinade from the dish over the bird. Season all over, then roast for 1 hr 10 mins. Baste after 15 mins with all the juices from the tin. Baste again after 30 mins, then cover with foil (if the chicken isn't very brown, don't cover with foil yet - keep checking until it is brown, then cover). After 50 mins, spoon over the remaining marinade, cover with foil again and cook for the final 20 mins.
• To check that the chicken is cooked through, pierce the bird between the leg and the rest of the body - the juices should be clear. Cut into portions, then serve with rice and stir-fried green veg.