Whole Fried Fish With Grilled Lime Cilantro And Ginger Vinaigrette Recipes

WHOLE GRILLED FISH WITH LIME

Steps:

• Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Score fish: Cut 1 slash lengthwise down to the bone, then crosswise in 2 places, spacing apart; repeat on other side. Season fish cavity and skin with salt; drizzle fish with 1/4 cup oil. Stuff some of the lime slices (reserve a few for garnish) and herb stems inside fish.
• Clean and oil grill grate well. Grill fish, resisting the urge to turn it, until skin is nicely crisp and charred and flesh is flaky and opaque down to the bone. (This can take 6-15 minutes, depending on size of fish. Don't mess around with it until it's ready.) Place a metal spatula underneath fish (a pair of metal tongs on top of fish also helps for support), then lift and gently roll over to the other side. Cook until flesh is flaky and opaque down to the bone, 6-15 minutes. Use a small knife to check for doneness; if it slides easily through the thickest part of flesh, fish is done. If not, finish cooking fish on grill or in a 450°F oven.
• Place fish on a serving platter; drizzle oil and lime juice over. Garnish with reserved lime slices, basil leaves, and cilantro.

CILANTRO-LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• Place the jalapeno pepper, garlic clove, and ginger into a food processor or blender; pulse until the jalapeno and garlic are finely chopped. Pour in the lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt, add the cilantro leaves; pulse a few times to blend. Turn the food processor or blender on, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt before serving.

WHOLE FISH WITH LIME SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• To make the salsa: Coarsely chop 2/3 cup of cilantro leaves and transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice 2/3 cup of the dark green scallion tops and add to the bowl, reserving the bottoms. Seed and finely chop one of the jalapeños and add it to the bowl. Stir in the capers and garlic. Finely grate in the zest of 1 lime and squeeze in its juice. Stir in 1/2 cup oil. Season with black pepper. Cover and let stand until ready to use.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pat each fish dry and coat with 2 teaspoons oil. Generously season the outside and cavity of each fish with the salt and black pepper. Transfer fish to the prepared baking sheet.
• Thinly slice the remaining 2 limes and seed and slice the other jalapeño pepper. Divide the lime slices, jalapeño slices, remaining cilantro sprigs and scallion bottoms among each fish cavity. Bake until fish is just opaque and flakes when pressed gently with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve fish with salsa verde on top or alongside.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat grill for direct-heat grilling over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, drizzle cavity of each fish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then season generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Aromatics help keep whole fish moist while grilling. Stuff 1 fish cavity with lemon slices and dill and the other with lime slices, basil, and Thai chiles. If using just 1 filling, double amounts called for.
• Fasten each opening with a wooden skewer or toothpicks that have been soaked in water so they don't burn. This keeps the aromatics inside and also makes fish easier to handle on the grill.
• Using a paring knife, make long, 1/4-inch-deep diagonal slashes at 2-inch intervals on both sides of fish so they cook evenly throughout. This also allows any seasonings on skin (see step 5) to penetrate.
• Rub both sides of each fish with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper, working all into slashes as well as heads and tails -- both are edible, and the tail becomes delightfully crisp when grilled.
• Brush hot grill with vegetable oil; immediately place fish on grill. Cook, undisturbed and uncovered, until undersides are charred and flesh along gills on undersides turns opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn fish with 2 large spatulas. If they stick, wait a few seconds until skin sears enough to release cleanly. Grill on other side until charred and fish are just cooked through and opaque, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Serve fish with lemon and lime wedges and more herbs. To serve, cut fillet free from top side of fish and remove with a spatula. Remove bones to free other fillet.

CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• In a food processor, place the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, maple syrup, coriander, and salt and pulse to combine. With the blade running, pour in the olive oil and process until smooth.
• Make it creamy (optional) - blend with 1 avocado or ½ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

LIME AND GINGER FISH FILLETS

Steps:

• Combine the oil, ginger, spring onions, garlic, sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, lime rind and juice in a small bowl and mix well.
• Place fish fillets in a single layer in a large shallow dish.
• Pour the ginger mixture over the fish.
• Cover and marinate in fridge for 1 hour.
• Place each fish fillet onto a piece of lightly oiled foil.
• Top each one with some of the ginger mixture from the dish and some lime leaves.
• Fold in the edges of the foil and enclose fish well.
• Cook the packets on a grill or BBQ for about 15 minutes or until cooked through (cooking time will depend on the heat of your grill and thickness of fish).
• Open the top of each packet and sprinkle with herbs and garnish with a lime wedge.
• Goes well with stir-fried Asian vegetables and rice.

CILANTRO-GINGER HALIBUT

Steps:

• Combine garlic, jalapeno pepper, ginger, lime juice, and cilantro in the jar of a blender. Cover blender, and remove the stopper. Turn on blender, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until mixture is bright green and smooth. Season cilantro sauce to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Season both sides of fillets with salt and black pepper. Brush the top of each fillet with 1 tablespoon cilantro sauce.
• Fill a large high-sided skillet with 1 inch water. Set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Set a steamer basket in the skillet, and arrange fillets in basket. Cover, and steam until fish has just cooked through but is still moist, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove fish from steamer, drizzle with additional cilantro sauce, and serve.

WHOLE FRIED FISH WITH GRILLED LIME, CILANTRO AND GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the limes cut-side down and cook until deeply charred, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
• Add the frying oil to a cast-iron skillet large enough so the oil comes no more than halfway up the skillet sides. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno and 2-inch piece ginger to the oil.
• Place the fish on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Make slashes crosswise on a diagonal along the body of the fish every 2 inches on both sides, cutting all the way down to the bone. Season the fish generously inside and out with salt. Mix together the rice flour, coriander, lime zest and 1 tablespoon salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish in the seasoned rice flour.
• When the oil is 350 degrees F, grip a fish firmly by the tail and carefully lower head-first into the skillet, making sure to lay it down away from you. Repeat with the other fish. Fry until the flesh on the bottom side is cooked through and the skin is deeply browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. While the fish are frying, baste the inside of the heads with hot oil periodically.
• Use tongs and a fish spatula to carefully turn both fish over. Fry until the flesh on the second side is cooked through and the skin is deeply browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and season both sides with more salt.
• To serve: Place both fish on a platter. Spoon the ginger vinaigrette over the top and around the fish. Garnish with cilantro and scallions and place the grilled limes around the edges.