SnapperAerin Oval Platter
from Williams Sonoma.
Serving spoon and fork
both from Zara Home. Leaf
bowl from The DEA store.
PrawnsLinen napkin in
indigo stripe from Cultiver.
All other props stylist’s
own. Stockists p126.1 whole pink snapper (about
1.5kg), cleaned and scored
three times on each side
60 ml(1⁄4 cup) fried-shallot oil
(see recipe opposite) or
garlic oil (see recipe, p103)
50 gm roasted unsalted
peanuts, coarsely chopped
Fried shallots (see recipe
opposite), to serve
NUOC CHAM
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tsp lemon juice
25 gm caster sugar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ long red chilli, finely
chopped
PAPAYA SALAD
½ green papaya or 2 green
mangoes, cut into julienne
1 carrot, cut into julienne
1 large golden shallot, thinly
sliced lengthways
2 long red chillies (optional),
cut into julienne
4 cups (loosely packed) mixed
herbs, such as Vietnamese
mint, coriander, mint, Thai
basil and red perilla1 For nuoc cham, whisk
ingredients and 2 tbsp water
in a bowl until sugar dissolves.
Season to taste.
2 Heat a barbecue flat-plate
to high. (Alternatively, heat a
large non-stick frying pan over
high heat and preheat oven to
180°C.) Rub fish and cavity with
salt to season, add fried-shallot
oil to barbecue plate, then
sear fish, turning carefully so
skin doesn’t tear, until skin is
golden (4 minutes each side).
Reduce heat to low, cover
Whole barbecued snapper with
green papaya salad
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 20 MINS
“I use a backyard pizza oven to cook whole fish, but a barbecue
with a lid, or even a large frying pan that’s then placed in the oven,
works just as well,” says Hamilton. “A julienne peeler will save a lot
of time with the salad, leaving you with more time to drink booze
and embarrass yourself on Christmas Day.”
with barbecue lid (or transfer
to oven) until flesh can almost
be pulled away from the bone
(8-10 minutes). Rest in a warm
place for 2 minutes, allowing
the residual heat to finish
cooking the fish.
3 Meanwhile, for papaya salad,
combine ingredients in a bowl,
add 80ml nuoc cham, season
to taste, and toss to combine.
4 Top fish with some salad,
scatter with peanuts and fried
shallots and serve with extra
salad and nuoc cham.
Wine suggestionA crisp
sémillon, such as Apricus
Hill Semillon from Denmark,
WA, which has notes of
crunchy snow pea,
blossom and spice.➤