This grilled red snapper is a family recipe, handed down from grandmother to mother to the original author. The fish is scored, marinated in lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce and chilli, stuffed with the smashed lemongrass stalks and grilled over charcoal. The original describes it wrapped in banana leaves over slow-burning coals. It works with a whole fish or with fillets. Ingredients 1 big whole red snapper 2 cloves garlic 2 stalks fresh lemongrass 2 chillies, diced 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 3 tablespoons peanut oil To serve Hot boiled rice Fish sauce with sliced chilli How to make grilled red snapper with lemongrass 1. Prepare the fish Wash the fish and pat it dry with paper towels. If you’re using a whole fish, make 2–3 diagonal ¼-inch cuts across the body. 2. Make the marinade Smash the lemongrass stalks. Take about 1 cm of the stalk and chop it finely or crush it in a mortar and pestle. In a bowl, combine the garlic, fish sauce, sugar, oil, chilli and both kinds of lemongrass, the smashed stalks and the chopped part. Leave the diced chilli to infuse in the marinade for about 5 minutes, then pick the chilli out and set it aside for later. 3. Marinate Pour the marinade over the fish. For a whole fish, push the smashed lemongrass stalks into the belly cavity for extra lemongrass flavour. Leave it to marinate for about 20 minutes. 4. Grill Put the fish on a hot grill. Fillets need about 2 minutes on each side; a whole fish needs about 10 minutes on each side, or until it’s cooked the way you like it. A whole snapper’s time also depends on its size. With this dish, the skin should come out crispy. 5. Serve Take the fish off the grill and scatter the reserved chilli over it. Eat it with a bowl of hot rice and fish sauce with sliced chilli. It’s especially good when the weather is cold. Use the freshest fish you can find. Share:
