Whole Baked Thai Snapper

Posted 2017-08-10 by Naomi ⇒ follow

There is something special about sharing a whole snapper. It is delicious with a zesty sauce, fresh herbs and looks fantastic.

The sauce and herbs are rubbed into slits into the sides and the cavity of the fish. Sliced lemons add flavour and make it moist. This is great served with rice and salad or as part of a Thai banquet.
[Image1]
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients
For the sauce
2 large lemons, zested and juiced
4 cloves garlic, crushed (exclude for low FODMAP)
6 Birdseye chilli (see Tips)
1 tbsp coriander root and stem, finely cut
6 tbsp raw sugar
4 tbsp fish sauce

For the snapper
2 kg snapper, cleaned and descaled
2 large lemons, cut into 1 cm slices
1 bunch coriander, roughly cut
1 bunch mint, roughly cut
1 bunch basil, roughly cut

To serve
Jasmine rice
Side salad with herbs

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Line a dish with baking paper and 4 - 5 slices of lemon.

Stir the sauce ingredients until the sugar dissolves.

[Image2 Make the sauce before adding the herbs]

Add 2/3 of herbs and stir to combine. Set the remaining 1/3 of herbs aside for serving.

Make 1 cm deep diagonal slices into the flesh, 3 cm apart, from the pectoral to the tail. Do not cut through to the bone. Repeat on the other side.

[Image3 Lift the pectoral fin to make the first cut into the flesh]

Place the fish on the lemon slices in the baking dish.

Rub 2/3 of the sauce and herb mixture evenly over the fish, pushing the mixture into the cuts.

Fill the fish cavity with the remaining mixture and add 3 - 4 slices of lemon.

[Image4 Rub the sauce and herbs into the skin and the cuts]

Place 2 slices of lemon on top of the fish.