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Home » recipes » Christmas » banana leaf baked snapper

By Amanda Smyth 6 Comments

banana leaf baked snapper

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It’s been a crazy week here in Casa de Cooker.  The farm has been busy as everyone tries to tidy up their yard before the Mother-in-Law arrives Christmas day.  And the time between now and then just keeps evaporating.

Time for another Keeping Christmas Merry Menu recipe.  This time, my suggestion for Christmas Eve dinner – banana leaf baked snapper, with delicious Asian flavours.  I’ve adapted the recipe from a dish I saw on one of my favourite cooking shows – the Cook and the Chef.  It’s another beaut cooked on the barbie recipe, so deputise your spouse and put your feet up for five!

banana leaf baked snapper cooker and a looker

Ingredients:

whole snapper, 3kg+  in the interests of keeping it simple, ask your fishmonger to gill, gut and scale it for you.

1 bulb garlic

1 bunch coriander roots

1 lemon

1 piece galangal

2 pieces lemongrass

Marinade

5 medium chillis I used a mix of green and red chillis – it seemed more Christmassy!

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 thumb ginger, finely sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 lime, juiced

1 kaffir lime leaf, shredded

2 tsp white pepper

Banana leaf for wrapping.  Substitute foil if you cant get your hands on a banana leaf.

Method:

Make deep cuts into both sides of the fish.

Prepare the stuffing for the fish:

Bruise the lemongrass and the galangal with the heel of a knife or a rolling pin.

banana leaf packages tied up with string - these are a few of my favourite things!
banana leaf packages tied up with string – these are a few of my favourite things!

Juice the lemon

Wash and scrape the coriander roots.

Slice the garlic bulb in half

Add the lemongrass, galangal, lemon juice and skin, coriander roots and garlic to the cavity of the fish.

Prepare the marinade:

Combine the garlic, ginger, chopped chillies, oyster and soy sauces, sugar, lime juice, kaffir lime leaf and pepper.  Cover the entire fish with the marinade, stuffing the larger pieces of chilli, garlic and ginger into the slices in the fish.

Wrap the fish in the banana leaf, using string or skewers to secure the ends.  Bake at 180C for 30 minutes or until cooked.

 

Serve with jasmine rice and steamed greens.

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Filed Under: Christmas, entertaining, mid-week meals, recipes Tagged With: Christmas, easy Christmas, fish, Seafood

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bachelormum style says

    at

    That looks delicious. I’ve always wanted to make this dish given i love it when i eat out. I’ll favourite for when i next have friends over. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Cooker and a Looker says

      at

      I fed seven adults with this fish bachelormum – it’s a good one for entertaining because the prep can be done well before hand. Let me know if you give it a burl!

      Reply
  2. Grace says

    at

    Oh, I love this!!! Cooking fish in banana leaves is a big thing where I’m from. Will definitely be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • Cooker and a Looker says

      at

      Thanks for hosting FYBF, Grace. I always discover something new in the link up

      Reply
  3. Danya Banya says

    at

    Oh yum! Cooking more with fish at home is one of our resolutions for 2013….

    Reply
    • Cooker and a Looker says

      at

      Eeek! New years resolutions? I haven’t even started thinking about them yet!

      Reply

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