Thai style salmon in banana leaf

This one is actually a quick (not another one, I hear you say!) recipe. Use foil if you don’t have banana leaves although you can get them at Asian stores in frozen form or fresh, online. Of course, Alison and Richard probably have a dozen of them growing outside their house! The marinade I’ve used for this is pretty simple, standard ingredients in Thai and Malay cooking. You can of course use any fish, I love salmon but monkfish would also be great or even shellfish.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 salmon fillets

1 small onion (or a shallot)

1 clove garlic

1 inch/2cm fresh ginger

1 stalk lemongrass

half a red chilli (or 1 if you like it hot)

half inch/1 cm fresh galangal or half teaspoon paste (you’ll find this in the supermarkets, chilled and shelves)

quarter teaspoon turmeric powder

4 lime leaves (fresh is best but dried will do), 2 of them shredded as in pic

2 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tsp lime juice

Method

1. Blend/Chop finely all ingredients (only 2 of the lime leaves) except fish.

2. Coat the fish with the marinade, leave for at least 30 minutes or 2 hours (in the fridge).

3. Preheat oven to 200C (fan 180).

4. Wrap the fish in banana leaves if using or foil or just bake it in a dish covered in foil, placing the lime leaves/a whole lime leave on each fish. Bake for 15 minutes, 20 if the fillet is thick.

5. Unwrap at table, small squeeze of lime juice and you’re there! Serve with a fried rice or chips the way George  likes it!

yum