All religions swept aside with a firm and benevolent trotter, fish is delicious and it is brilliant to have the excuse to spend lots of money on fresh fish – like on Good Friday. This little pig was tickled pink to realize that once again Easter was around the corner and thus a new fish recipe was required. This fine swine sauntered along the aisles of Kaillis on the weekend, admiring the different varieties and ensuring that the fish had 3 important fish requirements.
- The fish’s eyes should be as clear as yours or mine.
- The fish should smell like the ocean and not like a fish (amazingly).
- The skin should be taught, clean and glistening (like This Little Pig’s skin on a Saturday night).
Luckily Kaillis in Leederville is a premium fish monger (does that word still exist?) and This Little Pig had no bother finding these qualities amongst the fish..although smelling them did raise an eyebrow or two amongst other customers. The boys at Kaillis cleaned and prepped the fish upon this fine swine’s request for an ‘oven baking scenario’ and soon This Little Pig was strolling down the streets of Leederville swinging a little fresh sample of the sea with it (and a dozen oysters because this swine just couldn’t resist). Happy porcine days!
This Recipe is designed to create maximum flavour and wow factor with minimum effort for the piglet in the kitchen. It doesn’t take long to prepare and the tangy, salty, sweet and sour combos of the Thai style sauce offset the earthy fish flavours. So pull up those Easter robes, set aside your Easter egg hunt preparation and start creating a fish dish that will delight the senses. Oink!
Entrée of Lime and Shallot Vinaigrette Oysters Followed by Whole Pink Snapper Stuffed with Lemongrass & Ginger & Served with Crunchy Cabbage, Radish and Spring Onion Salad and a Thai Dipping Sauce.
Feeds: 4-6 Hungry Piglets
Prep Time: 30 Mins. Cooking Time: 20-30 Mins.
Ingredients for the Oysters & Red Shallot Dressing:
24 x Oysters
2 x Small Red Shallots
¼ x Cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1 x Tsp Castor Sugar
2 x Lime
Rock Salt & green ends of Spring Onions for arranging (can use the ends from the ones you are going to use in the salad).
Ingredients For The Fish:
2 x Whole Pink Snapper – about 3kg’s (ask the boys to prepare it for oven roasting)
2 x Lemons
1 x Spring Onion Bunch
6 x Kaffir Lime Leaves
4 x Lemongrass Stalks
4 x Garlic Cloves
1 x Coriander Bunch
1 x Mint Bunch
1 x Large Ginger Thumb
1 x Cup of White Wine (yes we know it’s not Thai but it just works ok)
Looooots of Rock Salt (we’re talking a handful here piglets)
Good Drizzle of Olive Oil
Ingredients for Cabbage Salad:
¼ x Purple Cabbage
¼ x Chinese Cabbage
1 x Radish Bunch
1 x Coriander Bunch
½ x Cup of Chopped Peanuts
1 x Spring Onion Bunch
½ x Mint Bunch
Thai Dipping Sauce:
2 x Tbs Caster Sugar
3 x Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
1 x Garlic Clove
1 x Red Chilli
2 x Tbs Fish Sauce
2 x Tbs Sesame Oil
6 x Tbs Lime Juice
Method for prepping Oysters & Red Shallot Dressing:
- Skin and finely dice shallot.
- In a bowl, mix together with your red wine (¼ Cup) and sugar (1 Tsp) to create your red shallot dressing.
- Slice your lime into quarters.
- Chop up the ends of the spring onions into short pieces and scatter around on a beautiful looking platter with a handful of rock salt. Carefully lay your oysters out on top and then place your lime quarters around artfully.
- Nestle your red shallot dressing amongst the oysters and place in the fridge to keep chilled for serving.
Method for Creating a Crunchy Salad:
- Finely slice your cabbages into thin slivers.
- Chop off your radishes heads (ooooff with his head) and slice into thin wafers.
- Finely dice your coriander and mint and slice your spring onion into thin disks.
- Combine all your lovely fresh salad on a big platter and top with your chopped peanuts.
Method for Creating a Glorious Dipping Sauce:
- Finely dice your chilli (1) and skin and finely dice your garlic (1).
- Combine in a beautiful bowl, your diced chilli and garlic with the rest of your sauce ingredients of castor sugar (2 Tbs), rice wine vinegar (3 Tbs), fish sauce (2 Tbs), sesame oil (2 Tbs) and lime juice (6 Tbs). Mix Well.
Method for Stuffing Dat Fish:
- Heat your oven to 180 degrees.
- With a sharp knife score your fish with diagonal lines about 2 cm’s apart along both sides of the fish. Basically just slice lines into the skin without cutting into the flesh too much – this allows for maximum flavour infusion and it stops the skin splitting whilst cooking.
- Pat your fish dry with some paper towels and then take a handful of sea salt and vigorously rub the sea salt into the skin, the scored cuts and inside of your fishies – this dries the skin out making it crispy, salty and delicious. If you are one of those un-salty types however, before stuffing and roasting him just pick him up and shake off the excess salt with vigor and yell, “be gone salt! Be gone!”
- Push to the side and allow them to infuse with glorious saltiness.
Now comes the stuffing!
- Finely slice your lemongrass (4 stalks) into thin rings.
- Skin and finely dice your garlic cloves (4) and shallot (1).
- Roll up your kaffir lime leaves (6) into a bundle and slice into very thin wafers and peel and slice your ginger into thin slices.
- Finely dice ¾ of your coriander & mint (1 bunch) and slice your spring onion (1 bunch) into thin disks – save ¼ of your spring onions and ¼ of coriander leaves & mint leaves for lavish scattering at the end.
- Slice one of your lemons into thin circles and the other into quarters.
- Take your lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, diced garlic, shallot, coriander and mint and mix together in a bowl with 2 Tbs of Olive Oil.
- Take your beautiful fragrant herbs and stuff into the cavities of the fish. Fill them to the brim!
- Lay your lemon slices on top of the stuffing, just poking out of the fish.
- Pour the white wine (1 cup) into a large tray and nestle your fish into it, drizzle over some olive oil (about 2 Tbs) and then pop into the oven.
- Cook for about 20-30 mins or until skin is crispy and the fish is just cooked through but still juicy and moist.
To serve:
- Bring out the oysters to the table when the fish goes into the oven and encourage the piglets to squeeze the lime over the top – this creates a little activity for them. This oyster time gives you a chance to swill back some wine and discuss how delicious oysters are, whilst members of the group (foolish members) recount a story that put them off oysters forever etc. *Mental note: don't invite those people again next year. Also drizzle your oysters with a little of the red shallot dressing – it is divine.
- Then once consumed by the clever piglets with great tastes, whisk into the kitchen to pull out your perfectly cooked fish.
- Scatter lavishly with the last of your spring onion slices and pull off the mint and coriander leaves to scatter over beautifully.
- Bring out to the table with your dressing and crunchy salad and serve out luscious slabs of the fish onto all piglets plates (ensuring you get lots of the amazing herbed stuffing).
- Dress the fish with a little dipping sauce and generously dress the salad with it also.
- Tuck in now piglets and stuff thyself. Oink!
