Ingredients
- Red Snapper or Other Fish 2 (each about 500 g)
- Juice of 2 limes
- Garlic 2 cloves, coarsely grated
- Mild, Sweet Chilli 1, (about 20 g) deseeded and chopped
- Chopped Chives 1 Tbs
- Thyme a small bunch, leaves stripped
- Oil 1 Tbs
- Hot Chilli 1 chunk
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For the Sauce Créole
- Oil 2 Tbs
- Spring Onion (scallion) 1 large (about 50 g) white and green parts chopped separately
- Mild, Sweet Chilli 1, deseeded and chopped
- Garlic 2 cloves, coarsely grated
- Tomato 1, peeled and coarsely grated
- Thyme a bundle of sprigs, leaves stripped
- Juice of 1 lime
To serve
- Chopped Chives 1 Tbs
- Lime 1, quartered
- Hot Chilli 2 chunks
Cook It
- Clean and gut the fish, if necessary, but leave the scales on if possible (to stop the fish sticking on the barbecue). Snip off the fins and spines. Wipe away any loose scales with paper towels. Cut 2 or 3 slashes on either side of each fish and season both sides and the insides with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, garlic, chilli, chives, thyme and oil. Add the hot chilli and leave to infuse for half a minute, or longer for more heat. Remove and reserve the chilli. Put the fish in a dish and slather all over with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for about 2 hours, turning once or twice.
- Meanwhile, heat up the barbecue. To make the sauce créole, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the white spring onion with the chilli, until pale golden. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the tomato and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
- Purée the sauce using a hand-held blender, then add the lime juice and simmer for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Swirl the reserved hot chilli in for half a minute, then taste; swirl it for longer if you want more heat. Keep warm.
- When the barbecue is ready, put the fish into a grilling rack and cook close to the hot coals (about 10cm/4in away) until the undersides are deep golden. Turn and barbecue until the other side is deep golden, the flesh is cooked through and the skin crisp.
- Carefully transfer the fish to a serving plate and scatter over the spring onion greens and chives. Serve with the sauce créole, lime wedges and the extra hot chilli to swirl through the sauce for more heat if you like.
Text © Tessa Kiros 2016. Photography © Manos Chatzikonstantis 2016. Design & layout Quadrille Publishing © 2016.
