Recipe: Grilled whole fish, Thai style

by Kevin Sharp

Admittedly, cooking whole fish can be intimidating and grilling fish anxiety inducing. In reality this really is about as simple as it gets. You can certainly do this directly on the grill but a game-changer for me was a wire grill basket; one of those hinged deals that holds the fish (vegetables, too). It keeps everything together, is easy to handle, and nothing sticks to the grill. I used yellowtail snapper but trout, bream, branzino, all would work well. If you’ve got walleye from your day on the lake, I think they could be really great, too. I’m old school and use a kettle grill and wood lump charcoal. Your grill time may vary but just keep a close eye out and you can’t go wrong. This is a pretty classic Thai sauce. Keep it in your wheelhouse. It’s an easy one to throw together in just a couple of minutes for all kinds of uses. Summer squash isn’t a typical slaw but I wanted to incorporate some of our local summer produce into the recipe and I think this works really nicely.

Grilled whole fish, Thai style

• 2 whole fish (about 1 lb each), cleaned
• 1 lime, sliced
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash (or a combination), trimmed but unpeeled
• 1 large carrot, trimmed and peeled
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded
• 4 scallions
• Neutral oil (grape seed, avocado, vegetable oil)
• salt

Sauce:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small knob fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime

Remove the fish from the refrigerator to take the chill off before grilling. Slice the squash, carrot, and jalapeño into thin matchsticks. Place in ice water and set aside (this will keep them crisp until you’re ready to serve). Use some paper towels to pat the fish dry. With a very sharp knife, lightly score the skin on both sides. Brush the fish with just a little neutral oil then salt liberally inside and out. In the cavity of each fish place one scallion, the lime slices, and a few basil leaves. Slice the remaining scallions thinly on the bias and set aside. Brush your grilling basket with oil (or use cooking spray). Put the fish inside, then place on a hot grill. Grill 10 to 12 minutes per side or until the score marks have opened and the skin has begun to char. If you are unsure it’s done, the internal temperature should be 145°. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

While it’s resting, make the sauce. Grate about half a clove of garlic and a small knob of fresh ginger (1/2 thumb-sized) into a small bowl. Add the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice, and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients as necessary. It should be a pleasant balance of all of the elements.

Drain the slaw well then toss it with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce. Place the fish on a platter and drizzle a couple more tablespoons of sauce over the fish. Garnish with some slaw and then scatter the reserved sliced scallions and a few basil leaves over the top and serve.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.