Thai-Style Grilled Red Snapper

So a Wegman's came into my neighborhood last year and when I first went, it was just annoying because everyone and their moms were so excited that the store was jam-packed, the parking lot was a mess, and I'm not a fan of senseless crowds. I mean, c'mon people, it's a grocery store. But it seems like everyone has gotten over it a bit and it's much easier to be in that store now, which is great, because they have an amazing bakery section (I love their Italian loaf; it's been my favorite since I first discovered Wegman's in college), a great butcher, and an awesome fishmonger.

When we were there last, we were rolling past the fish and saw the most gorgeous red snapper and even though it was kind of pricey, we decided we had to give it a go. I wanted to do a relatively simple preparation by just grilling it but I ended up smothering it with a Thai-inspired dressing and it was a hit. My family gobbled it up v. happily.

Ingredients [serves 4]:
fish
whole red snapper (1½ to 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
lemongrass stalk
5 sprigs cilantro
2 cloves garlic, smashed
½ lime, sliced

sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 to 7 Thai chilis, sliced
¼ onion, sliced
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 lime
10 to 15 sprigs cilantro, chopped

Start by cutting a few slices of lime to put in the cavity of the fish along with some lemongrass stalks, a bit of cilantro and some smashed garlic cloves.

Score the fish with a few criss-cross slashes on both sides of the fillets and then rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Toss the fish onto a hot grill (grease the grates with an oil-soaked paper towel for a little more nonstick insurance) and cook over a high heat for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until the flesh is opaque and white and the skin is golden.

For the smothering sauce, start by mincing garlic and finely slicing a couple of Thai chilis.

Put the garlic and chilis in a pan with oil and pop onto the hob over medium high and cool just until the garlic is golden.

Add in some sliced onions, the fish sauce and palm sugar, and then squeeze in some lime and cook just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture heats through. Then turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro until it just wilts. And that's the sauce; done. Spoon it all over the fish.

I'm sorry if whole fish makes you squeamish, but I think this looks so gorgeous and fantastic and this is how Thai (and most Asian cultures) like to prepare and serve fish.

The fish is so tender and meaty. I love red snapper because it's not flaky like cod or salmon. It's got enough well-dispersed fat to make it deliciously moist but that also means it's super easy to serve. It's soft so you can just use a spoon to scoop the flesh off the bone but it's hardy enough to stay together and that means you can carve off substantial portions to serve.

And it's got its own soft, subtle fish flavor which is lovely but because it's not so strongly fishy, it's a great vessel for the smothering sauce. I love how the onions in the sauce get an almost pickled quality. It's not as spicy as you'd think because the acidity of the lime really tempers the heat of the Thai chilis. And the garlic, cilantro, and fish sauce are lovely aromatics that give it the dish that distinct Thai flavor.

Here's the recipe page: