Baked Whole Red Snapper with Spices

As you likely can tell, we love big, bold spices and flavors here at Scrumptious Street.  This recipe is one of those with a terrific amount of flavor, variety and joy if you have a similar palate.  It's yet again, borne of a love from various Asian influences.  This is a terrific dish for a dinner party or relaxing family meal.  Here's my "Baked Whole Red Snapper with Spices".

Two notes about the fish: 1) It MUST be fresh. No compromise.  2) It absolutely, positively always has the best flavor when you leave it whole and cook it on the bone.  I realize for many people, leaving the head and tail intact may be quite apalling.  Truthfully, I also have a hard time with it.  So, it's okay in this dish to have the fish monger remove the head and tail.  But, PLEASE leave the flesh on the bone and do not use fillets.  The paste, juices and spices are better maintained and permeate the fish, if you leave the skin and bones in place.  It is a spectacular dish, and the wholeness of the fish is a large part of that. Despite the number of ingredients in this dish, it's very simple and easy.  So, if you've never cooked whole fish before, this is a good one to try.

Also, you see veggies along the edges of the dish in the photos, surrounding the fish.  This is a separate side dish I created that was wonderful too.  It'll be my next posting, so you'll get that recipe as well.

Ingredients
Serves 4

Marinade for the fish
1 fresh whole red snapper, 2-3 lbs.
1 1/2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Paste for the fish
1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
1/2 tsp. dried lemongrass or 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass if available
2 shallots, peeled
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
6-8 fresh red or green thai or asian chilies (serrano peppers could substitute)
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 macadamia nuts
1 small ripe red tomato, such as roma
1 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup loosely packed Thai basil (or Italian basil if you can't find Thai)
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

Method:

1. Remove the fish from the packaging and place on a silicone or non-wood cutting board.  Take a sharp knife and gently cut 3 or 4 diagonal slits on each side of the fish, cutting no deeper than 1/4".  This is "scoring" and helps the marinade and paste permeate into the flesh.  Sprinkle the lime juice all over both sides of the fish.  Rub in the kosher salt on both sides and into the cavity of the fish.  Seal the fish tightly in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Meanwhile, add the other ingredients one at a time to a food processor.  Pulse after adding each dry ingredient or aromatic, to make a chunky paste.  When adding the brown sugar, salt and lime juice, run the processor in "on" position after pulsing.  Your final result should be a smooth and thick paste. 

3. Remove the fish from the refrigerator and place in a large baking dish with plenty of room.  Smooth the paste on both sides of the fish and in the cavity of the fish body.   Cover the fish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

5. After 25 minutes, check to ensure the flesh of the fish is fully opaque and flakes away when you insert the tines of a fork and gently move it.  If it doesn't flake away, return to the oven for about 5 more minutes, or until the flesh separates easily.

6. Add another squeeze of lime juice to the hot fish and garnish with a little more fresh basil.  Serve fish immediately with a variety of side dishes.  Obviously, rice would be a good choice.  I also make veggies with spices and coconut milk that was a terrific complement.  That will be my next posting.

Comments

[John]

Hi, I really messed this up, probably because I changed the recipe. At the time, the changes seemed minor, but maybe reading of my mistakes will be useful for someone else. Firstly, I used red onion instead of shallot, which was maybe why the overall paste was quite mushy, not smooth and thick.
Second, I put a lid on the baking tray instead of aluminium foil which I think helped seal in the moisture to much.
As a consequence, everything was wet, tasting vaguely of uncooked, wet, onion.
Quite disappointing. Certainly no "big bold flavours" came through.

[Stephanie Beack]

Hi John, whoops. Yes, both those changes make a big difference. So sorry that it didn't work out. How much red onion did you use? I would say no more than 1 T. and I bet you used at least half the onion or more. The proportions here are very important...also, you're right about the lid. You only want to cover enough to keep the fish from crisping too quickly. A lid seals all the moisture in and braises the fish and definitely is a different technique.