Lemongrass Mackerel

I love roasting whole fish.  Super fresh fish on the bone with a simple sauce brings out amazing aromas and satiating goodness!!  

Whole fish with lemongrass and Thai chilies requires very little work but brings out wonderful flavors.   Mackerel is my personal favorite, and for this recipe, I was able to find some beautiful Indian mackerel which are usually about 10 inches long, but these were about 7 inches.  Very popular in Southeast Asian cuisine, the Indian mackerel has a rich flavor resulting from their diet of shrimp and fish larvae.  

Ca Uop Xa- Lemongrass Fish

2 Whole Fish (about 1-1 ½ pound fish)
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup water

Marinade
2 pieces lemongrass minced-*

3 cloves garlic minced

2 Thai chili peppers minced-*

¼ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp fish sauce-*

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp turmeric-*

cilantro

Vietnamese coriander

Make sure the fish are cleaned and gutted with the fins cut off and put three slits in each side.  Mix the marinade ingredients and rub on fish.  Let them sit in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours.   

In a hot skillet, add the canola oil and gently lay the fish in and let the skin crisp and pull away from the pan.  Gently place a spatula under the fish and release while lightly shaking the skillet.  Carefully flip the fish and cook through on the other side.  When fully cooked, remove fish to a plate and pour water into the pan to deglaze the seasonings.  Scrape up all the bits and reduce to a nice thickened consistency and pour over the fish.  A nice Vietnamese cabbage salad is refreshing as a side dish.

Today's tunes were a mix of 80's New Wave artists on Pandora!  Easy listening to the sounds of yesteryear.  Memories of my youth were carried through the airwaves including Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, the Cure, the Psychedelic Furs and many others.  Funny how tastes change, but we seem to go back to our old habits.  I went through a major metal phase and still love punk rock, but I find my music to just chill out and enjoy is that English 80's sound.