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An explosively-flavored spice paste is slathered over swordfish (or halibut), then enclosed in banana leaves before being grilled over a hot fire. (Foil can be substituted for banana leaves, which are often found frozen at larger supermarkets.)
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0:01
Fish grilled and banana leaves turns up all over planet barbecue
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This version comes from Malacca, Malaysia. But the flavors are out of this world
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Like so much Malaysian grilling, it begins with a spice paste. Start with finely chopped lemongrass
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And lemongrass is an herb with a lemony flavor, but none of the acidity associated with lemon
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Then add finely chopped shallots. fresh ginger, garlic, macadamia nuts, chopped fresh chilies, ground turmeric, black pepper
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and fish sauce or soy sauce. Fish sauce is a malodorous but extremely delicious condiment
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made with fermented anchovies. If you can't find it or don't want to try it, you can use soy sauce
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Now, grind these ingredients to a smooth paste in a food processor
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or you can pound them by hand in a mortar with a pestle. Just scrape down the inside
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Keep grinding. And this combination of lemongrass, garlic, and chili, it's totally incredible
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Now the other thing that distinguishes a Malaysian spice paste is that very often it fried before adding to the fish I have heated some vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet and will simply add the spice paste to the hot oil
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And it's nice to have a grill with a side burner for cooking the spice paste
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Cooking time about four to six minutes. Here's a batch I made earlier
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Okay, now this is a fresh banana leaf. You can find these at Asian markets
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You can also order them by mail. And what you want to do is place a generous tablespoon of the spice paste
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in the center of the banana leaf. Then I'm using swordfish in Southeast Asia
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They often use grouper or skate. And you want to place another generous tablespoon of the spice paste on top
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Then bring the bottom up, the top over, the right side in, then the left side in to encase the fish in the banana leaf
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It's a little like making a blintz. And secure the banana leaf with a bamboo skewer
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So what if you can't find banana leaves? Well, you can use a high-tech banana leaf, a sheet of aluminum foil
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So spread a generous tablespoon of the spice paste on the foil then add the fish then more spice paste on top of the fish Once again fold over the bottom then the top then bring in the two sides
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And here's your fish packet ready for grilling. Set the grill up for direct grilling
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Preheated it screaming hot. This is one case where you don't need to brush and oil the grill grate
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because you're grilling in the banana leaves. Now all you need to do is take the fish and arrange the packets on the grill
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So what's the advantage of grilling fish and banana leaves? Well, actually there are at least five
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Number one, the banana leaves seal in flavor and moisture. Number two, as the banana leaves grill
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you get this wonderful kind of herbaceous flavor from the leaf itself
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Number three, banana leaf prevents the fish from sticking. Number four, it solves that age-old problem
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when you go to turn fish that's on the grill, it won't fall apart because it's wrapped in the leaves
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And finally, the process looks cool as all get out. So, cooking time is about 4 to 6 minutes per side
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How do you tell when the fish is done? Well what you want to do is insert a metal skewer into the side of the fish leave it in for about 10 or 15 seconds and then take it out and it should feel hot to the touch need a couple minutes more
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so to speed up the cooking process I'm simply going to close the grill
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okay and once again to test for doneness just insert a metal skewer
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through the side of the package leave it for about 10 or 15 seconds
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You can feel it. Hot to the touch. These guys are ready
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And the aroma is really incredible. The banana leaf has this kind of toasted herb smell
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And you can see they really are a thing of beauty. Now let's try one
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And what I like to do is I serve them in the packet. Let each guest pull out the toothpick
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Unwrap the fish. Mmm. Oh, man, that lemongrass really gives you a blast
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Take a taste. Mmm. This fish is incredibly moist. and as fragrant as an Asian spice market
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So the next time you want to grill fish without it sticking with supercharged flavor, grill it in banana leaves
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