Grilled Fish in Banana Leaves: Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth: Season One: Yara Roberts' Brazil

Serves6

Active time:45 min
Start to finish:1 1/4 hr

Yara Roberts, Yara Roberts' Cooking School, Paraty, Brazil

November 2009

Watch a preview of this Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth episode and it view its accompanying recipes. Plus, explore all episodes and more recipes from the show.

1 (1 lb) package frozen banana leaves, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons fine salt (4 tsp coarse kosher salt)
6 scallions
12 large sprigs cilantro
12 large sprigs parsley
6 small whole (3/4 to 1 lb) red snapper or other white-fleshed fish, or 6 (6 oz) fillets

Garnish

olive oil
Equipment

Cotton string or twine

Holding both ends of a banana leaf with your hands, pass slowly over an open flame on each side until you see it change color. Repeat with remaining leaves.
Stir together lime juice and salt in a small bowl.
Trim scallions and cut white and green part into 3-inch lengths. Thinly slice scallions lengthwise into 3-inch strips.
Preheat oven to 450°F
Prepare and bake whole fish
Cut a piece of banana leaf at least 2 ½ times as long as the fish, about 30-inches long. Lay a fish lengthwise in center of leaf and rub cavity and both side of fish with about 2 teaspoons lime juice-salt mixture. Fill cavity with 1/6th of scallion strips and 2 large sprigs each of cilantro and parsley. Wrap banana leaf around fish and tie in two places to secure. Put fish on one of two large 4-sided baking sheets. Repeat with remaining fish.
Bake fish on baking sheets in upper and lower thirds of oven until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Open packages, then drizzle fish with olive oil and serve.
PREPARE AND BAKE FISH FILLETS
Chop the scallion strips, cilantro and parsley together. Cut a wide piece of banana leaf to about 12-inches. Put a fillet in center of leaf and rub both sides with 2 teaspoons lime juice-salt mixture. Put a tablespoon or so of herbs under fish and sprinkle top with another tablespoonful (use about 1/6 of total herb mixture). Fold banana leaf over fillet to enclose and secure with a string wrapped both ways around package like a present. Put package on a large four-sided baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets.
Bake fillets on baking sheet in middle of oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Open packages, then drizzle fish with olive oil and serve.

Photograph by Marcus Nilsson

by Yara Roberts, Yara Roberts' Cooking School, Paraty, Brazil

Keywords: adventures with ruth,; cooking school,; yara roberts,; paraty,; brazil

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