RECIPE | Whole roast fish with ginger and spring onions

Quick and easy to make, this recipe for whole roasted fish will work beautifully as a week-night meal, but is also special enough to serve to friends over the weekend.

WHOLE ROAST FISH WITH GINGER & SPRING ONIONS

Preparation and cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Cook's notes:

• Allow about 400g of fish per person. This recipe works very well with farmed South African river trout and will also work with a slightly stronger-flavoured fish, such as dorado.

• You can use four plate-sized fish and wrap each one individually, if you prefer, so each diner gets their own parcel. Check fish is ready after 12 minutes cooking time. Serve with steamed rice, bok choy and mangetout. 

Ingredients:

2 x 800g whole firm-fleshed fish, cleaned

¼ tsp ground white pepper

8cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into long thin strips

3 green onions, trimmed, sliced thinly

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

½ tsp caster sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 long fresh red chilli, seeds removed, sliced thinly on the diagonal

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan.

2. Pat fish dry with paper towel then make three deep cuts through the flesh on each side.

3. Take four large sheets of baking paper and rinse under cold water to make the paper pliable. Place two sheets in a cross pattern on each of two oven trays; place a fish in the centre of each. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with pepper; top with half the ginger and the white part of the green onion. Bring the sides of the paper together and seal by folding over, then wrap over the remaining sides, tucking the short sides under to form a sealed parcel.

4. Bake fish for 20 minutes. To test if the fish is cooked, check in one of the cuts; the flesh should be opaque. Insert a fork into the thickest part; the flesh should come away from the bone easily.

5. Meanwhile, stir soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl until sugar dissolves.

6. Transfer fish to a platter; top with chilli and drizzle with soy dressing.

7. Heat peanut oil in a small saucepan. Add remaining ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until golden.

8. Spoon oil and ginger over fish. Top with coriander and serve.