Salt-crust fish stuffed with lemongrass

This Salt-crust fish stuffed with lemongrass recipe, created by chef Andy Oliver, is perfect for a summer BBQ. Once cooked, the salt crust just peels off – leaving really moist flesh infused by the fragrant Thai stuffing.

Ingredients (serves: 2 – 4 as part of a shared Thai meal)

1 whole seabass (600g), gutted and scaled but fins and tail left on

2 lemongrass stalks

3-4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen, rather than dried)

1 pandanus leaf (optional)

250g of coarse sea salt

2tbsp of rice flour or corn flour

1-2tbsp of water

1 bamboo skewer to pin

1 banana leaf for presentation (optional)

For the dipping sauce:

3 coriander roots or stalks

4 cloves of garlic

5 green bird eye chillies

1 thin (5mm) slice of galangal (optional)

3tbsp lime juice

3tbsp fish sauce

1tbsp golden or white caster sugar

Juice of one mandarin or tangerine (optional)

Method

Stuff the seabass cavity with lemongrass, pandanus leaf and kaffir lime leaves, (you can even poke some lemongrass out through its mouth if you like) and pin closed with skewer.

In a bowl, make a fairly thick paste by mixing the rice flour (or corn flour) with two tablespoons of water.

Rub the skin of the fish on one side with the paste then pour over the salt generously, patting it down to stick.

Leave for five minutes, turn over the fish and then repeat the paste and salt on the other side.

Grill fish on a medium temperature BBQ for around six to eight minutes on each side or until cooked. You can use a griddle pan to do this if you don’t have a BBQ.

In the meantime, make the dipping sauce by pounding the coriander roots or stalks, garlic, chillies and galangal (if using) in a pestle and mortar until fairly smooth, then mix in the lime, fish sauce and sugar (plus mandarin juice if using).

Serve the fish on the banana leaf with a small bowl of the dipping sauce alongside.

Recipe courtesy of Andy Oliver for Singha Beer