Vietnamese Stuffed Fish Recipe

Recipe:

700 g (1.5 lb) whole grouper or bream
3 red chilies, seeded if a less spicy flavor is preferred
2 stalks lemon grass
1 clove garlic
2 shallots
Salt and pepper to taste
100 g (3.5 oz) minced pork (can also replace with chicken)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sherry
1/2 teaspoon groundnut oil

Garnish:

2 hardboiled eggs
2 limes
1 carrot
Coriander sprigs

Preparation:

Clean and gut the fish. Cut a slit from head to tail and carefully remove main bone without cutting off head or tail. Remove eyes. Make cuts on both sides of the fish. Blend or pound chilies, lemon grass, garlic and shallots, adding salt and pepper to taste. Mix with minced pork, fish sauce and sugar. Rub a little salt and pepper into cut slits of fish. Cover tail with foil (do not allow foil to touch sides of oven). Stuff fish with pounded mixture and pork. Sprinkle fish with sherry to moisten it.

Microwave Cooking Method:

Grease a baking dish with 1/2 teaspoon groundnut oil. Place fish carefully on the dish and steam, covered with plastic wrap for 8 minutes on High. Turn fish carefully and cook for another 4 minutes on High.

Serving:

Serve garnished with hardboiled eggs, lime slices and a carrot. Peel carrot and slice a piece to cover eye socket. Cut thin strips from the rest. Halve eggs and limes. Use carrot strips as a basket handles for the egg baskets, and fill them with coriander sprigs.