Whole Fish With Mint Recipes

ROAST WHOLE FISH WITH CHILE, MINT AND BASIL MARINADE

Steps:

• Puree all of the ingredients (except the fish) in a blender until smooth. In a dish large enough to fit the snapper, pour half the marinade over the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the fish in a roasting pan and bake until fish is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flash the fish under the broiler momentarily to crisp the skin. Place the fish on a platter and pour the remaining marinade over the top of the fish. Serve with steamed potatoes.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH IN CHILE, GARLIC AND MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix chiles, garlic, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. Add a little salt; mix thoroughly; then taste and adjust the seasonings. The sauce should be hot. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
• Light a charcoal grill or preheat a broiler. Salt the fish inside and out and place on a well-oiled grill about 5 inches from the heat. Broil or grill, turning once, until firm and almost done, about 15 minutes total. Remove from heat and cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Mix sauce with the chopped tomato. Serve the fish with the sauce on the side, or cut the fish open, remove the central bone, and transfer the fillets to a heat-proof platter. Pour half the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with some pepper, and place under a very hot broiler for a few seconds before serving, sprinkled with the parsley. Pass the rest of the sauce separately.0.

WHOLE ROAST FISH WITH LEMONGRASS AND GINGER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the body and inside of the fish dry, and space the fish evenly apart on an unlined sheet pan. Using a sharp knife, cut two diagonal slits, 2 inches apart, into the skin of each fish, making sure not to cut through to the bone. Repeat the slits on the other side. Drizzle both sides and the inside of the fish with 3 tablespoons oil, and season with the 1 1/2 tablespoons salt.
• Working in batches if necessary, transfer the lemongrass to the bowl of an asanka or a mortar. Use the pestle to pound the lemongrass pieces until crushed and fragrant. Move the crushed pieces to one side of the mortar bowl or the asanka. Add the ginger pieces and repeat the pounding process until they're crushed. Combine the ginger and the lemongrass. Add the scallion greens and scotch bonnet chile. Use the pestle to crush and combine these with the lemongrass mixture. Add the shallot and zest of 1 lemon, crush and combine with the pestle. Stir in the turmeric and coconut milk. (Makes about 1 1/4 cup marinade.) Alternatively, you can do this step in a food processor. Add in the ingredients in the order listed, and pulse them all together. Stir in the turmeric and coconut milk.
• Slice the zested lemon into 3 or 4 rounds. Spread the marinade generously over both sides of each fish and about 2 tablespoons into each cavity. Place a lemon slice, the white end of a scallion and some cilantro sprigs in each cavity. (At this point, the fish can be left to marinate for up to 30 minutes, or covered and refrigerated overnight.) Drizzle the tops of the fish with the remaining oil.
• Roast the fish until firm and cooked through, rotating the sheet pan once halfway through the process, about 22 to 25 minutes. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges. Serve the fish over steamed rice or alongside a hearty salad, with the lemon wedges for squeezing.

BAKED FISH WITH MINT & MANGO RELISH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put the fish fillets in a roasting tin. Combine the chopped chilli, mango, cumin, ginger, mint, mango chutney and lime juice. Spoon a quarter of the relish on top of each fillet and pat it down into an even layer with your fingers.
• Put the bread in a food processor with the garam masala and turmeric and whizz to fine crumbs. Add the olive oil and give the processor one final pulse to mix everything together.
• Spoon the crumbs over the relish-topped fillets. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 10 mins. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 5 mins until the fish flakes easily and the crumbs have crisped on top. Serve with a green salad - see recipe, below.

ROAST WHOLE FISH WITH SALSA ROMESCO

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Put the peppers, skin-side up, onto a baking tray and grill for about 20 mins until the skins blacken all over. Put them into a food bag, seal, then leave for 10 mins. Once cool, peel away the skins. Tear the flesh into strips. Mix with the tomatoes, garlic and chilli in a bowl. Roughly chop most of the parsley leaves and add to the bowl with the hazelnuts, vinegar and oil, then stir well. This salad 'matures' well, and tastes even better if you can make it a few hours ahead.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Rinse and dry the fish, score the flesh on each side, then put the parsley stalks and a few lemon slices into the cavities. Put a few more lemon slices in an oiled baking dish and lay the fish on top. Season the fish well, drizzle with more olive oil, scatter with remaining parsley, then roast for 20 mins, until the flesh flakes easily.
• Serve the fish from the dish, set the bowl of salad and the potatoes alongside, then dig in.

WHOLE FISH WITH MINT

Steps:

• Place a wire rack in the bottom of a roasting pan and add an inch of water to the pan. Place pan on the stove over two burners and bring water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry the fish inside and out. Place on a heat-safe platter and stuff the cavity with half the ginger, scallions, and chile pepper, all the garlic, and 4 sprigs mint. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top fish with remaining ginger, scallions, and chile pepper, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Transfer platter to preparedpan. Cover tightly with foil and steamuntil opaque throughout, about15 minutes. Carefully lift platterfrom pan, retaining the juices.
• Meanwhile, combine lime juice and oil in a medium-size bowl. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and add remaining mint and the basil leaves. Toss to coat the herbs.
• Place herb mixture on top of the fish and serve immediately.