WHOLE*YUCK*Baked Whole Fish in Garlic-Chili Sauce

By Unblond1

I started to make this with a whole red snapper I bought at Tarinis then when I took the fish out of the fridge and started to clean it, I realized it wasn't scaled and I wasn't about to start with that, so it went in the trash and I used the sauce on some butterfly pork chops that I sauteed then poured the sauce over and simmered for a couple of hours - they were good but not worth the trouble.

Ingredients

• FISH:
• 4 servings
• 1 whole red snapper or gray mullet, OR 2 or more whole rainbow trout or tilapia, fresh or frozen
• generous handful fresh coriander
• handful fresh basil
• lemon or lime slices or wedges for serving
• MARINADE/SAUCE:
• 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. sherry (my addition)
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 - 3 green onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice + grated rind
• 1-3 red chilies, sliced, OR 2+ tsp. Thai chili sauce (adjust the amount according to how spicy you'd like your fish)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from thaifood.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

* Stir all marinade/sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

* Place fish on a cutting board and score it by making diagonal cuts about 3/4" apart along the length of fish from head to tail on both sides. Season inside and out with salt, pepper and lime juice.

* Place fish on a large piece of foil, big enough to cover/wrap the fish.

* Put a few large leaves of basil inside the cavity of the fish. Drizzle 3 Tbsp. (or more) of the marinade/sauce over each fish, covering both sides. Be sure to spoon some into the cuts you've made, as well as into the underside cavity. Reserve the rest for later. If desired, place a thin half slice of lime in each slit.

* Bring the long sides of the foil up and over the fish, scrunching it together. Try to keep the foil off the surface of the fish, making a kind of shallow tent over it. Also fold up each end and scrunch to secure. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until serving time, removing from fridge 20 minutes before you're ready to cook it.

* Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

* To finish the fish, remove from oven and open up the foil, scrunching it around the fish to create a kind of bowl.

* Pour remaining marinade/sauce over fish and return to the oven. Turn oven on "Broil" setting, and broil for 5-8 minutes, or until the fish is nicely browned and crisp-looking (like barbecue fish).

* Remove from the oven, slice and serve.