Red snapper de la reyna

"In summer, I like to lighten things up a bit by frying the fish and topping with a salsa garnish for colours."

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 plate-sized red snapper, scaled and cleaned
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• plain flour, for dusting
• banana leaf, optional, to serve

Salsa

• 1 punnet small truss tomatoes, finely diced
• 2 short cucumbers, finely diced
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 1 yellow capsicum, finely diced
• 1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped

To serve

• lime wedges
• soy sauce
• fish sauce
• coconut vinegar

Instructions

1. Fill a large deep pan or wok with vegetable oil and heat the oil over medium - high heat.
2. Meanwhile, score the fish on the diagonal 2 -3 times on both sides. Season with salt and pepper, then coat with flour.
3. Add the fish to the hot oil and cook for 4 minutes on each side or golden and crisp. Remove the fish from the oil and set it on a platter or board lined with banana leaves.
4. To serve, arrange the finely diced salsa ingredients in blocks of colour on top of the fish. Serve with lime wedges and dipping bowls of soy sauce, fish sauce and coconut vinegar.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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"In summer, I like to lighten things up a bit by frying the fish and topping with a salsa garnish for colours."