OMG!  This is my new favourite asian dish.  So light, fresh and easy……. my husband and I were groaning with pure delight at the moist, oven-steamed fish fillets.  All of our favourite aromatics were present and with a show stopping garnish of fresh coriander, spring onion and crunchy fried garlic & chilli chips this was a meal to remember.  Fondly……very, very fondly indeed!

Ps:  Fish can be quite expensive these days, especially Blue Eyed Cod (my favourite fish).  Ling fillets or Barramundi would be nice too but to keep costs down, I left the Rugrats out of this one!

Prep time:  15  Minutes         Cooking time:  20-25 Minutes (depending on fish fillets)        $$  Medium Budget

Serves 2

2 tbs of peanut oil

2 x 200gm Blue eye cod fillets

2cm piece of ginger, sliced into thin strips

1 kaffir lime leaf, rolled up and very finely sliced

2 spring onions, white part julienned like the ginger, green part sliced diagonally and set aside

1 cup of coriander leaves

1 Lemon grass stalk, white part only, very finely sliced

2 red chillies, finely sliced diagonally

2 cloves of garlic, very finely sliced

1/4 cup of Shaoxing wine*

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 tbs of fish sauce

2 tsp of brown sugar

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Steamed rice, Asian Greens & Lime wedges to serve

Pre heat the oven to 200°C.

Tear off two 30cm sheets of foil and two 30cm sheets of baking paper.  lay the baking paper on top of the foil and place the fish in the centre.  In a small bowl combine the shaoxing wine, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar.  Whisk to combine until the sugar has dissolved.

Sprinkle the ginger, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf and the white part of the shallot evenly over both pieces of fish and spoon the sauce over the top.  Pull all the sides up and fold over making a nice little bag.  Try and leave a little pocket of air in it and not wrap it too tightly.  This will allow the fish to steam.  Place the parcels on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and tender. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a couple of minutes.

Heat a small fry pan and add the peanut oil.  When the oil is nice and hot add all the garlic and half of the chilli slices.  Tilt the pan on its side, keeping the garlic and chilli immersed in the oil until the garlic turns golden and the chilli goes a nice burgundy colour.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  At the last minute add the rest of the chilli so it remains a nice bright red colour.  Scoop out the garlic and chilli mixture and drain it on a paper towel.  Discard the oil.

Cook the rice to your preferred method and divide it between two serving plates.  Open up the parcels, being careful not to burn yourself when the steam escapes.  Gently lift the fish out of the parcel with an egg slide and lay it on top of the rice.  Drizzle over the sauce left in the parcel and scatter over the coriander leaves and the green part of the spring onion.  Lastly, scatter over the crispy garlic and chilli chips and serve with a wedge of lime.  Totally sublime.