Whole Snapper In Kecap Manis — Whip It UP!

Whole Snapper – Lemongrass, Turmeric & Kecap Manis

Sautéed water spinach, roasted shallots, garlic & shrimp paste

By Joey Sergentakis

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: 4/5
Cost: $15

Snapper

400 to 450g   snapper

1. Filet fish without removing it from the tail and head

2. Debone fish. The fish is deboned by first making a slit along the fish belly, and removing the guts. Using a knife, slice the meat from the tail end of the fish, along the bone, all the way towards the head. Do it for both sides. With the meat detached from the bone, use a scissors to cut the bone attached to the head, tail, and the top of the fish. Once the bone has been removed, lay the fish spread out, flat down with the skin facing downwards, and remove stray bones with a pair of tweezers.

3. Rub inside of the fish with marinade (A)

4. Season fish with salt and pepper

5. Wrap in banana leaf

6. Grill on both sides on low flame until cooked

7. Remove banana leaf

8. Whip kecap manis with butter (B.)

8. Top with kecap manis butter (B.) and place under salamander until caramelized. Baste fish with the kecap manis butter whilst baking in the salamander.

9. Dress fish with sambal matah and fresh calamansi juice (C.)

10. Cook water spinach in high heat, and mixed with the shrimp paste and fresh chilies.

A.
Marinade for snapper

8pc                  clove
7g                    white peppercorn
7g                    black peppercorn
20g                 coriander seeds

– Toast and make paste

40g                  galangal
75g                  ginger
35g                  turmeric
50g                  shallot
50g                  garlic
25g                  candlenut
25g                  shrimp paste
16g                  birds eye red chili
200g               oil
25g                 salt

1. Cook all together in oil until soft
2. Chill

B.
Topping 

400g               butter
400g               kecap manis
30g                 calamansi juice

C.
Sambal Matah with calamansi

17g                   shallot, finely sliced
2g                    birds eye chili, finely sliced
4g                    lemongrass, finely sliced
50g                  lemongrass oil
15g                   calamansi juice
5g                    garlic
chopped kaffir lime leaf
lime zest

D.
Water spinach

(sambal goreng with shrimp paste)
300g               shallots, sliced
200g               garlic, sliced
100g                long chili, sliced
260g               grapeseed oil
11g                   shrimp paste

E.
To finish

100g                water spinach – leafs
100g                water spinach stems
50g                  sambal goreng

Topping on fish

Sliced scallions
Fresh calamansi juice