David treated us to this wonderful Thai meal recently.
For the marinade process these ingredients in a food processor: 1 brown shallot, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 sliced thumb-size piece of galangal (or ginger), 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, a handful of basil leaves, ½ a can of coconut milk, 2 finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, 1 finely sliced red chilli, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the juice of ½ a lime. Marinate the fish for 10-15 minutes then wrap it in banana leaves (you can buy these at Asian stores). Make sure you go around the fish more than once to contain all the juices and tie well. Place the parcel into a dish and cook either over a barbecue or in a moderate oven.
Whole fish (we had barramundi) will take much longer then fillets. If you are unsure of the cooking time, open the parcel and test with a fork. Unwrap at the table and serve with coconut rice.
Our fish parcels were accompanied by this delicious Thai asparagus salad.
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus (the spears will naturally snap at the right place). Mix together 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 4 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 minced fresh red chilli. Place the asparagus in a flat-bottomed dish or bowl. Pour the marinade over. Use a spoon to distribute the marinade over the length of the spears. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes. Lightly brush a barbecue or hot grill with oil and grill the asparagus until it is lightly browned and slightly withered on the outside, but still crunchy in the middle.
*recipes by Darlene Schmidt
michelle picker cooks 