Baked Fish With Chili-Garlic Sauce

We went to the fresh fish market the other day and found an amazingly fresh whole Sea Bass. I used a recipe I found online, altered it slightly and it turned out fantastic!

I used a big banana leaf to wrap the fish in to bake (aluminum foil would work just as well) and not only was it fragrant, but the presentation looked pretty impressive too without having to do much. Sadly, my camera ran out of battery, so I don't have a picture, but I am posting one that I found online which looks a little bit similar to the fish I made.

Ingredients:

1 (about 2 kg) whole fresh fish, scaled and cleaned from the inside and with vertical slits (head to tail) about 1/2 inch apart on both sides of the fish.

6 tbsp oyster sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce

10 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

2-3 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper (powder or coarsely ground)

3 tbsp lime juice

3-5 thai chillies (I mixed red and green for color), sliced

1 stalk lemon grass, sliced and smashed (optional)

Handful fresh cilantro/coriander leaves

1 lemon, sliced

Banana leaf or aluminum foil

For the marinade, mix together oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, lime juice, chillies and lemon grass in a bowl.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and put the banana leaf on top (or another piece of aluminum foil). Place the fish on top and pour about 4 tbsp of the marinade on one side, making sure that the marinade goes into the slits you have made. Flip over the fish and pour about 3 tbsp of the marinade on this side. Then, put about 2 tbsp of the sauce inside the fish (reserve the leftover marinade). Cover with the banana leaf and use toothpicks to secure the leaf into place.

Preheat oven to 375 F and bake the fish for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish (till opaque from the inside, not pink). Take out the fish, open the banana leaf and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Place the cilantro in bunches around the fish and the lemon slices on top as well as side. Put the fish under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes (or till the fish is slightly crispy from the top). Serve on the banana leaf.