Thai sea bass parcels with coconut rice & asian slaw
Serves 6
In partnership with Nisha Parmar, this recipe is from her cook book “Share” celebrating Asian inspired party dishes.
“Fish wrapped in banana leaves is a very common dish eaten all over Thailand. I remember sitting on the streets on a humid evening, unwrapping a banana leaf and enjoying this meal with an ice-cold beer in Koh Samui. I was inspired to make this holiday memory on a balmy summer evening in the UK. It was delicious on the BBQ but for all-year round appeal, this roasted version is just as good.”
Ingredients
6 sea bass fillets
6 banana leaves (optional)
For the marinade
3 tbsp coconut milk (use the top settled cream from a can of coconut milk)
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp palm sugar
Sea salt, to taste
For the Asian slaw
1 large carrot, julienned
½ cucumber, julienned (remove the watery centre)
8 radishes, cut into sticks
Mango or pomelo, peeled and sliced (optional)
Handful of roasted peanuts
Handful of herbs, such as coriander (cilantro), mint and Thai basil, roughly chopped
1 quantity of nuoc cham dressing
To serve
Fragrant coconut rice
Lime wedge
Method
In a large tray, mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Add the sea bass fillets and coat them generously, then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Wrap each fillet in a banana leaf (or baking parchment if you can’t find banana leaves), tying each up with kitchen twine like a present, and roast for 15 minutes.
Place all your slaw ingredients in a bowl, except the nuoc cham dressing, and dress at the table. Do not pour it over too early, so the slaw stays crisp.
Serve everything on banana leaves (if using), for that authentic Thai beach feel, with coconut rice and a big wedge of lime to squeeze over.