I had a whole fish from the market; a Skipjack, which is not a fish I've heard of before, but it was only $4 and the fishmonger said it was nice... I decided I wanted to cook it with Asian flavours, in an foil envelope. Baking fish wrapped in foil keeps it moist and locks in all the juices, and it's a really easy low-maintenance way to cook.
Looking through the fridge revealed a few things I liked; a jar of hot red curry paste, a jar of nice peanutty satay paste, fish sauce and coconut milk. I mixed up a spoonfull or so of each, and added coconut milk, lemon juice, a little hoisin sauce and my favourite salty fish sauce until it reached a nice balance of salty/sweet/tangy/spicy. Actually, I have to say that I am really proud of this paste/sauce I created; even my brother who passed by, and won't eat fish had a taste and commented that it tasted pretty darn good!
I tore off a long sheet of tinfoil, doubled it over and created a pouch for the fish - adding the paste I had made inside and rubbing it over the skin. I then stuffed some fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves inside with the paste. We have lots of tender little zucchini in the fridge as well, so I sliced up a few and scattered them around in the sauce that had started pooling around the fish and put it in a hot oven for about 30-40 minutes. I know, zucchini with an Asian dish - yes, it's not an obvious pairing, but it's what I had and I really wanted some green vegetables to accompany the fish and cut through the richness of the sauce.
The smells it sent through the house were stunning, but I was so hungry and impatient for dinner that I made the mistake of snacking on a few bits and pieces I found in the fridge, so when it was ready I could only manage about half! It was quite a rich tasting sauce anyway, especially with the extra coconut milk I drizzled over the top, so I now have about half in the fridge to enjoy for another meal soon! I was really happy with this; it's a cut above my usual meal-for-one ideas, and showed me that I could come up with something pretty good when I let my creativity take over!
That looks similar to a milkfish or what we call bangus (Chanos chanos). I can almost smell your cooking and the combination does sound rich and appetising.
ReplyDeleteIf you bake fish Asian-style again, see if you can get banana leaves. We wrap the fish with it before the foil, on an open grill or an oven. You'll be pleased by the subtle flavour it imparts.
I've tried fish with banana leaves when travelling in Asia, and you are right, the flavour is excellent. Did you know you can also bake cakes wrapped in banana leaves? Line the tin with the leaves and then pour in the batter; it's great for banana bread. I learnt about this on Renee's Shiokadelicious site, but can't find it now!
ReplyDeleteOh what a coincidence! I was just there earlier, here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.shiokadelicious.com/shiokadelicious/2004/05/double_the_work.html
We use banana leaves when we cook rice cakes, puddings, etc. There's even one version, bibingka, where the cake pan is made of clay and then embers above and below it.
Friday night bet basketball dinners are usually out or we order in a pizza. This friday I did not want to eat out and no pizza either. I had this strong urge of eating thai. So thought would make simple. Chicken Satay and Red Thai curry with Jasmine rice. sportsbook But as evening approached, I had this tempting need to taste the same spicy n tangy drunken noodles that I had in Vegas at Krung Thai!! I could actually taste them. hehe!
ReplyDeleteSo I set out googling and after going through tonnssss of recipes, I made a rough sketch in mind how I would make mine!! march madness As usual hubby dear asked me what I was preparing. When told about the drunken noodles. he was like. and what about appetizers???! I was like hmm. chicken satay maybe? He was like nah. feel like eating some fish!! Now I had no clue what thai appetizer I could make with fish! And I was already in the kitchen and had no time to google.
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