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Whole baked fish with fennel, chilli & lemongrass

Two whole baked fish with fennel, chilli & lemongrass

Whole baked fish with fennel, chilli & lemongrass

Name: Whole baked fish with fennel, chilli & lemongrass
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 large Maris Piper or Désirée potatoes thinly sliced; 1 large fennel bulb thinly sliced through the roots; 1 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for the fish; 4 garlic cloves grated; 45g palm sugar or light brown soft sugar; 75ml fish sauce; 75ml lime juice (from about 5 limes), plus slices to serve; small handful of coriander leaves picked and roughly torn, stalks finely chopped; 2 large mackerel (about 700g each), cleaned and gutted (sea bass or bream also work well); 2 lemongrass stalks bashed and broken in half; 3 spring onions thinly sliced diagonally; 1 red chilli thinly sliced

Helena Busiakiewicz

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 30 mins

A star rating of 3.8 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

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Try this spicy, sweet and sticky whole fish with punchy fennel, chilli and lemongrass flavours for Good Friday. It's a simple yet sophisticated way to feed a crowd

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

2 large Maris Piper or Désirée potatoes

thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb

thinly sliced through the roots
1 tbsp vegetable oil

plus extra for the fish
4 garlic cloves

grated
45g palm sugar

or light brown soft sugar
75ml fish sauce
75ml lime juice

(from about 5 limes), plus slices to serve
small handful of coriander

leaves picked and roughly torn, stalks finely chopped
2 large mackerel

(about 700g each), cleaned and gutted (sea bass or bream also work well)
2 lemongrass stalks

bashed and broken in half
3 spring onions

thinly sliced diagonally
1 red chilli

thinly sliced

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal595
fat34g
saturates7g
carbs37g
sugars12g
fibre5g
protein33g
salt5.6g

Method

step 1

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4. Line a large, high-sided roasting tin with baking parchment, then arrange the potato and fennel slices in the tray, layering them in overlapping rows alternately until they cover the whole tin and doubling up the layers if you have leftover slices. Season with salt. Brush over the vegetable oil, then roast for 15 mins, or until the edges of the veg have started to crisp up and caramelise.
step 2

Meanwhile, combine the garlic, palm or brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, coriander stalks and 75ml hot water in a small bowl.
step 3

Lightly season the inside and outside of the fish with salt, then put the lemongrass inside the cavities. Brush the fish lightly with oil. Remove the veg from the oven and lay the fish on top. Pour a little of the sauce inside each cavity, then the rest over the skin. Cover with foil and bake for 15 mins until the fish is nearly cooked and the flesh flakes easily.
step 4

Remove the foil for the final 10 mins of cooking. Heat the grill to high. Slide the fish under the hot grill briefly until the skin has browned and blistered. Scatter over the coriander leaves, spring onions, chilli and lime slices, then serve.

Recipe tip

While salmon is often served at Easter, mackerel is a cheaper option, mainly because it’s in season at this time – which means it’s also a sustainable option. This dish is also cooked in one tin, so will save on washing-up.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2023

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A star rating of 3.8 out of 5.4 ratings

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