Barbecued red emperor with finger lime, ginger and lemongrass

This simple BBQ recipe lets the delicate flavours of the beautiful red emperor snapper fish speak for themselves, with fresh and zingy enhancements from kaffir lime, ginger, chilli and Indigenous finger limes.

Credit: Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Food Network

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 kg whole red emperor snapper fish, gutted and scaled
• 1 thumb size knob of ginger, peeled and cut into julienne
• 2 long fresh red chillies, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
• 10 whole kaffir lime leaves
• 6 finger limes, halved lengthways
• ½ bunch coriander, coarsely chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, coarsely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Preheat a barbecue to medium.

Using a large sharp knife, make 3-4 deep incisions on both sides of the fish until you reach the back bone.

On one side of the fish, divide half the ginger among each incision, then fill with half the chilli, kaffir lime leaves, finger limes, coriander, then the lemongrass. Place the lemongrass in last as you want it to cook and if it’s close to the flesh it won’t cook as well and release those delicious flavours. Flip the fish and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Season the fish on both sides, then barbecue for 15 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice and scatter with extra fresh chilli.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.