Grilled Fish Curry
Grilling fish whole provides a fresh, juicy canvas over which the poppy aromatic flavours can dance. If you don’t have lemongrass and lime leaves, replace with finely sliced orange and limes for a bright twist of flavour, not to mention a beautiful looking design. As with all the best al fresco entertaining and eating, serve everything on large family-style platters, next to some crusty white bread or grilled flatbreads.
We've paired this with a natural pickle of Salted Cucumbers - which can also be a great addition to your favourite sandwiches, wraps and grilled platters.
To prepare the Grilled Fish Curry
To make the quick red curry sauce
Bring a small saucepan to medium heat. Stream in enough oil so that it pools to the side when you tilt the pan. Fry for about 1 minute to wake everything up. Stir in the coconut milk and bring up to a steady simmer. Cook until the sauce noticeably thickens, about 5 minutes.
Season to taste with the fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Cool.
To build the dish
Place 2 large cabbage leaves on the counter and stack them so that the wider sides face out to create a secure boat shape.
Now layer with 1 crushed lemongrass, half of the torn lime leaves, and half of the red curry sauce. Place the fish on top and repeat the process with the remaining lemongrass, lime leaves, and red curry sauce.
To make the quick red curry sauce
Bring a small saucepan to medium heat. Stream in enough oil so that it pools to the side when you tilt the pan. Fry for about 1 minute to wake everything up. Stir in the coconut milk and bring up to a steady simmer. Cook until the sauce noticeably thickens, about 5 minutes.
Season to taste with the fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Cool.
To build the dish
Place 2 large cabbage leaves on the counter and stack them so that the wider sides face out to create a secure boat shape.
Place on a charcoal grill over a strong direct heat and close the lid. Cook until the tops start to caramelise a little, about 10-12 minutes.
SALTED CUCUMBERS
You really don’t need much to make a natural pickle. The key is to play with the sweet-salty balance and to taste, taste, taste! Best to make a large batch that you can leave in the fridge for a few days to give all your wraps, sandwiches, or grilled platters a quick boost.
1 large cucumber, peeled & thickly sliced
Small pinch of flaky salt
Bigger pinch of caster sugar
Crushed red chilli flakes, to taste
Toss the sliced cucumbers together with the flaky salt, sugar, and red chilli flakes. Let everything hang out and get to know each other for at least 10 minutes. This will help to draw out some liquid and intensify the texture and flavour.
Taste and adjust!
Ingredients
For the quick red coconut curry
2 tsp red curry paste*
200ml rich coconut milk**
1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp soft brown sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp lime juice, or to taste
Neutral oil, to cook
To build the dish
Large cabbage leaves (ideally sweetheart or pointed cabbage)***
2 crushed lemongrass stalks
6 torn kaffir lime leaves
500-600g cod or hake fillet, skin removed
*Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste is a delicious and readily available brand.
**We recommend using Thai Gold Coconut Milk which not only happens to be organic, but also contains 99.65% coconut extract. Unbeatable.
***Banana leaves from your local Asian store would be a wonderful aromatic alternative.
Join us at our cookery school to learn how to cook similar dishes
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