Whole Grilled Sea Bass with Thai Style Sauce

Three years is really a very long time - it’s actually a whole 1/7^th of my life. So what better way to celebrate such a length of time then with food. Have you ever noticed how food is at the centre of pretty much any celebration or event, from Christmas to Birthdays to Weddings, it just makes everyone happy!! The celebration in question is Ben and mine’s anniversary, a whole three years since I baked him that first Victoria Sponge and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ben always orders fish when we’re out (that or steak), he almost turned into a sea bass on our holiday to Turkey last month. Having never cooked a whole fish before it was a bit of a challenge for me, but actually turned out to be really easy to do. Served whole with pak choi and rice this dish has the wow factor, and most importantly, it tastes really great too.

Adapted from Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic

Serves 2

2 small sea bass, gutted and scaled

2 tsbp Thai fish sauce

3 tbsp sherry

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

handful fresh coriander, chopped (plus more leaves to garnish)

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 limes, juiced

1 fresh red chilli, chopped

½ firm mango, peeled and cut into matchsticks

200ml water

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp water

1. Heat the grill to a high heat.   Make three to four cuts on each side of the fish with a sharp serrated knife. Marinate the fish in a dish with the fish sauce for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Put all the remaining ingredients except the cornflour and coriander into a saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the cornflour and coriander and stir until thickened. Keep the pan on a low heat whilst the fish is cooking.
3. Grill the fish on a baking tray for about 10 minutes on either side, being careful not to place it on too higher a shelf (you don’t want to skin to blister too much), until the skin is golden and crisp and the flesh is firm and flakey at its meatiest part. Serve whole with the sauce poured over and sprinkled with coriander.

xxxxx