Grilled Yellow Tail Snapper

Whole fish is more complicated than a pre-sliced fillet, but there is something very fun and rewarding about preparing an entire fish. This Yellow Tail Snapper was 1.6 pounds and cooks up like Red Snapper. I wanted to stick to the fish’s tropical roots by grilling it on a banana leaf, which I found at the local Chinese grocery store. A cedar plank will work well also. Snapper, in general, should not be grilled directly over a high heat, so it is best to have it on something, such as a banana leaf.

Rinse out the fish and make sure it is cleaned out to your liking. I smothered the inside with the following mixture:

4 cloves garlic, chopped

a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated on a ginger grater

1 TB of the thick cream from the top of an undisturbed can of coconut milk

I mashed the chopped garlic and grated ginger in a mortar and pestle to make a paste. Then I added the coconut cream and mixed well. Spread this inside the fish and stuff in any extra for maximum flavor. Place fish on wet banana leaf and grill on Medium high heat, 5-7 minutes on each side, or more, depending on the size of the fish. Pour some lemon juice over the fish every few minutes while it grills.

I served this with Coconut Basmati Rice (which is made just like plain basmati rice, but with a dollop of coconut cream from the top of the same un