Vietnamese steamed whole fish in rice paper and herbs

Want to upgrade your rice paper roll? Try filling it with steamed, fragrant fish, lettuce, herbs and vermicelli rice noodles. Pair with a homemade ginger nước chấm for those who want an extra-fancy condiment to dip your rolls in!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 1 x 1 kg whole plate-sized barramundi (snapper, other firm white flesh fish), cleaned
• 3 cm x 4 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 3–4 makrut lime leaves (optional)
• 1 lemongrass stalk, smashed and cut into thirds
• 1 bunch spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths (white parts and green parts separated)

For the spring onion oil

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed oil
• Pinch of salt
• Reserved green parts of spring onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup dark-roasted peanuts, finely chopped (see Note)

For the ginger nước chấm  

• 20 g caster sugar
• 30 g sliced ginger
• 40 g garlic cloves
• 30 g bird’s eye chilli
• 50 ml hot water
• 2 limes, juiced
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce

To serve

• 12 sheets rice paper, cut in half
• 1 bunch coral or butter lettuce, washed
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• ½ pineapple, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch each of coriander, mint, Vietnamese mint and perilla/shiso
• 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli noodles (optional)

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife to score the fish 2–3 times per side from top to belly (not head to tail). Stuff the fish cavity with ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass and the white parts of the spring onion. Place the fish on an oval platter large enough to hold it (it’s fine if the head or tail hang over the sides). Place the platter into a steamer large enough to fit it, then steam for 12–16 minutes depending on size (see Note for an alternative).
2. To make the spring onion oil, heat a saucepan over medium heat and warm the oil with a pinch of salt. Add the sliced green parts of the spring onion and cook 5–7 minutes, or until wilted and fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir through the peanuts.
3. To make the nước chấm, pound the sugar, ginger, garlic and chilli into a rough paste using a mortar and pestle. Stir through the hot water, stirring well to dissolve the sugar, then add the lime juice and fish sauce. Season to taste to your liking and adjust as needed.
4. To serve, place the fish on its steaming plate in the centre of the table. Spoon over ¾ of the spring onion oil and nuts, then serve the remaining oil and nuts in small bowls. Arrange the rice paper sheets, vegetables, fruit, herbs and noodles on platters for DIY assembly. To wrap, dunk the rice paper in hot water to soften, lay it on your hand and top with lettuce. Break off some fish and add whatever combination of fillings you like to the rice paper wrapper. Wrap, roll and dip in the nước chấm.

Note

• Dark roasted peanuts are sold by some retailers. Alternatively, you can use storebought roasted, unsalted peanuts, and roast further to give extra depth. Roast in a 180ºC oven for 10 minutes.
• If you don't have a steamer, place a small bowl in a large wok, set the platter on top, pout in approximately 2 cups of water, cover with a lid and steam.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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