Cá nướng lá chuối is a whole fish, marinated for about 3–4 hours, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. It is finished with spring onion oil and crushed roasted peanuts, then eaten with a shrimp paste and pineapple sauce, sliced star fruit, vegetables, vermicelli and rice pancake. Plan ahead: the fish marinates for about 3–4 hours. Ingredients For the fish 1 big snake head fish / round scad fish Banana leaves Roasted peanut For the marinade (mixture A) Fried shallot, salt, Maggi seasoning, sesame oil, vegetable oil, turmeric powder and sliced spring onion, mixed together and stirred well For the sauce 2 tablespoons minced pineapple 1 small bowl shrimp paste (mắm nêm, sold at Vietnamese markets) Sugar, minced garlic, chili and lime juice To serve Star fruit, green banana, pineapple, Vietnamese mint Vermicelli and rice pancake (bánh đa, sold at Vietnamese markets) Vegetables: salad, basil, heart leaf and bean sprout, cleaned How to make cá nướng lá chuối 1. Marinate the fish Clean the fish in water with a little salt added. If it still has scales, scrape them off with a knife. Cut some lines across the body of the fish, then rub mixture A all over it with your hands. Leave it for about 3–4 hours. 2. Make the shrimp paste sauce Peel the pineapple and cut out the eyes. Use ½ pineapple for this step: slice it small and grind it. Peel and mince the garlic and chili. Add the ground pineapple, garlic, chili and sugar to the bowl of shrimp paste. Shrimp paste is really salty, so keep adding sugar, stirring well and tasting until it suits you. Finish with a few drops of lime juice. 3. Prepare the sides Clean the star fruit, cut off the edges and slice it into long pieces. Slice the other ½ pineapple into long pieces. Slice the green banana into thin rounds and keep them in water until you use them. Clean the Vietnamese mint and spring onion and leave them to dry. Soak the vermicelli in hot water for about 3–5 minutes to clean it, then wash it in cold water for about 1 minute. 4. Grill the fish in banana leaves When the fish has marinated, wrap it in banana leaves and grill it until the leaves are fragrant with charcoal. If you want to make sure the fish is cooked through, steam it for about 3–5 minutes before grilling. 5. Finish and serve Slice the spring onion small and fry it in a little oil for about 1 minute. Spread it over the fish along with the crushed roasted peanuts. Eat the fish with the shrimp paste sauce, sliced star fruit, the vegetables, vermicelli and rice pancake. Share:
