POACHED WHOLE SALMON, "THAI" STYLE

The other day my local fish monger was selling small-sized (about 2.5-3#) salmons, so I had to purchase one.  I always make salmon fillets, so cooking a whole one is different.  And with all of the white salmon in my freezer that I've been making for the past several months, it was a welcome change.  I didn't want to steam it or bake it--and definitely NOT fry it, so I decided to poach it, although poaching is "sort of" like steaming.  Since my pantry has a variety of spices/ingredients, I thought about making a Thai Style poached salmon, so I perused the Net for some ideas (with more than 300 cookbooks in my library, I still peruse the net for ideas).  After coming across an interesting recipe from the Australian website taste.com, I pulled out some of my favorite Thai ingredients and adapted a dish to my liking. 

POACHED WHOLE SALMON, "THAI" STYLE

3 lemongrass stems, bruised and cut in half
6 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup fresh ginger, sliced
6 garlic cloves sliced
2.5# whole salmon cleaned and scaled
1 bunch cilantro (coriander), about 2 cups
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
2 1/2 tbs tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup fish sauce
Lime wedges, to serve

Place half of the lemongrass, 4 lime leaves, garlic and half of the ginger in the cavity of the fish.  Put the fish in a poacher, cover with cold water and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and let fish simmer for about 20-30 minutes until just cooked.

While fish is cooking, wash cilantro and pick off the leaves and refrigerate until ready to use. Chop/slice cilantro roots. Place palm sugar in a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add cilantro roots, onion, remaining lemongrass and ginger and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Add tamarind concentrate and fish sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Strain and set aside until ready to serve.

Carefully remove the fish from the poaching liquid and place on a large serving platter. Pat dry with a paper towel. Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and lime wedges.

RED SNAPPER ROASTED UPRIGHT

Whole red snapper is marinated with a combination of lime juice, garlic, ginger and cilantro then roasted, upright, in an oven. The key here is to keep the fish standing upright so both sides of the fish cook evenly at the same time.  This is a take on those "beer can" chicken standing upright  recipes.

Ingredients:

One whole red snapper – about 2 pounds, cleaned and scales removed

Marinade:
¼ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
6 cloves of garlic
2” piece of fresh ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup of cilantro leaves
Dash of salt
½ cup of olive oil
Combine above ingredients in food processor to make a marinade

To Prep and Cook the Fish:

First, score each side of fish with a knife to make 3-4 incisions on each side.  Spread marinade on both sides of fish and inside cavity.  Place fish in fridge marinade for about an hour.

Remove fish from fridge and stand “upright” using stainless steel round cutters or cans.  The key here is to keep the fish standing upright, so both sides could roast at the same time (one side not flat on its side).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Let fish rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes prior to placing in oven.
Let fish roast for 20-25.  Remove from oven.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Pour additional marinade on fish and serve standing upright.  Serves 2

This goes well with pearl couscous, jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, or whatever you like as a starch.