Cooked in Vietnamese style this fish dish is delightfully fragrant and succulent. If you can’t find a banana tree you can find fresh vacuum-packed banana leaves at Asian stores. If there are too many for one occasion they freeze well.
Cut 900g (2lbs) of Ling (or a similar firm-fleshed white fish) into 4 large pieces. In a food processor blend 3 diced cloves of garlic, 2 spring onions, 2 handfuls of fresh tarragon, 1 sliced stalk of lemongrass (white part only), 1 grated knob of ginger, the juice of 1 lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Rub this paste onto the fish and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Wrap each piece of fish into a banana leaf, folding until you have a neat parcel. These parcels can be held together by a barbecue fish basket ( see cooking class in Hoi An ) or tied with string. Cook the parcels on a BBQ over medium heat for 10 minutes on each side. Serve with steamed rice and a fresh Asian-style salad.
michelle picker cooks 