Grilled Fish Hanoi Style Recipes

VIETNAMESE GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Prepare the salmon: Whisk the grapeseed oil, ginger, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. Place the salmon on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the marinade on top. Turn the salmon so the marinade coats both sides. Cover and refrigerate, 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the carrot-sesame dressing: Whisk the fish sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, brown sugar, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the carrot, scallions and 1/4 cup water; stir to combine. Set aside.
• Preheat a grill to medium high. Remove the salmon from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Brush the grill grates with grapeseed oil. Brush the skin side of the salmon generously with grapeseed oil, then place on the grill skin-side down. Cover and cook until the skin is crisp and the salmon is nearly cooked through, about 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until the salmon is just cooked through, about 5 more minutes. (Do not flip the fish.)
• Transfer the salmon to a platter and spoon the carrot-sesame dressing on top.

HANOI GRILLED TURMERIC FISH WITH DILL AND ONION

Steps:

• Mix fish sauce, turmeric powder, garlic, ginger, shallots, dill fronds, and black pepper in a bowl. Add fish and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for no longer than 30 minutes, or else the fish will get too salty as you prepare the rest of the recipe.
• Heat a little bit of oil on high heat in a pan/skillet and sauté onions until lightly golden. Add 1/3 bunch of fresh dill and two sliced scallions stalks to the party. Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Plate the onions, scallions, and dill on a serving platter.Remove fish from bowl, drain, and dispose of marinade. Pat dry excess marinade with paper towels so the sugar in the fish sauce doesn't burn the fish.In the same pan used to cook the onions, heat a little more oil on medium-high heat. Pan-fry the fish for 3-4 minutes, or until both sides are evenly browned. If you have delicious skin-on fish, give some extra cooking love to that skin, which should turn nice and crispy before you flip it.Plate the fish on sautéed onions, scallions, and dill. Garnish with remaining fresh dill and scallions, cucumber, Pickled Red Onions, and peanuts.Serve immediately with sides of vermicelli noodles, Coco Rico Vietnamese Fish Sauce, and butter lettuce. Wrap everything, eat everything in a bowl, or whatever combination makes you happy. (I and many Vietnamese especially like it with "Mam Nem", a fermented fish and pineapple dipping sauce-don't knock it til you try it!) Enjoy one of my favoritest dishes evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

GRILLED FISH HANOI STYLE

Steps:

• Peel the galanga and cut into pieces, then process in a blender with a tablespoon of water.
• In a blender, combine turmeric with a little water and a dash of lemon juice, press and strain.
• Strain the shrimp paste together with the fermented rice to collect the juice.
• Mix together the galanga, the turmeric juice, the shrimp paste and rice mixture and the cashew nut oil.
• Season with oyster sauce and sugar.
• Marinate the fish in the mixture for at least three hours.
• Arrange the pieces of the fish on a grill. Grill on a cast iron plate with oil with a little dill, white parts of chives, peanuts and dried onion on top - turn continuously.
• Serve hot with the "bun" noodles and a Vietnamese dipping sauce.
• P.S. If you're going to Hanoi, I really recommend this course ! http://www.hanoi-cooking.com/tip.html.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH RECIPE

Steps:

• As you choose your fish, pick fresh fish on ice at your grocery store. Choose fish with clear eyes (fish that have cloudy eyes are less fresh). If you can smell the fish, it should smell like the sea and not fishy. Have the fishmonger clean the fish, also removing the gills and tail.
• Dry your fish with paper towels and use a knife to cut 3 slits on each side of the fish. Each slit is about 1 inch deep.
• Add salt and pepper all over the fish (on the skin, slits, and inside of the cavity).
• Add minced garlic in the cavity and the slits.
• Add the lemon wedges and green onions in each of the slits and the cavity.
• Finish stuffing the fish with leeks, scallions, shallots, rosemary, and parsley.
• Use the soaked toothpicks to keep the stuffing inside the cavity.
• Add a generous amount of vegetable oil all around the fish.
• Heat your charcoal. I like to use natural chunk charcoal and fill about 50-60% of my chimney starter. This fills about 40-50% of my small charcoal grill with about 2-3 inches distance from coals to the fish.
• Once your coals have a nice white coat from heating up, they're ready to pour onto the grill. If the coals aren't covered in white yet, they may not get hot enough on the grill and if you heat them for too long before pouring out, their life is shortened. Cover the grill for a few minutes so it warms up.
• Scrub the grill grates on the top and bottom with a metal grill cleaner.
• Whole fish directly on the grill: Place the fish directly onto the grill and sit tight (don't try to move the fish around before it crisps and cooks or you'll end up breaking the skin). Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. Once the first side crisps and is easier to lift, you can carefully turn it over. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it's finished. Whole fish in foil: Wrap the fish with foil and place it onto the grill. Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. After about 7 minutes, carefully turn it over. Slightly open the packet and use a thermometer to check the fish. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it's finished.
• Serve the fish fresh off the grill with some rice and garlic noodles.

HANOI-STYLE GRILLED FISH

Steps:

• Rub fish with sauce, turmeric, galangal or ginger root, and pepper.
• Heat a heavy skillet, add the oil, and heat until hot. Lay the fish in the pan, and sear over high heat for 5 or 6 minutes on each side until golden on the outside and cooked inside. Sprinkle the top with the fresh dill and scallions. Then remove.
• To serve, arrange rice noodles in bowls, and place fish on top. Sprinkle the remaining fresh herbs on top, and serve with dipping sauce.

HANOI TURMERIC GRILLED FISH WITH DILL AND ONION

Steps:

• In small bowl, whisk together sugar, turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic, and shallot. Place in large sealable plastic bag with fish and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• In medium bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and 2/3 cup water until sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• In heavy, 6-quart pot, bring 8 cups water to boil. Add noodles and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in colander, rinse with warm water, and let drain completely.
• Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place rice cracker directly on rack and heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. The cracker will blister as it toasts. When cool enough to handle, break cracker into shards and place on small plate.
• Place peanuts in small bowl and arrange lettuce and herbs on platter.
• Preheat grill (high heat). Grill fish, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes total.
• Meanwhile, place cast iron dish on grill over high heat.
• When fish is cooked, place on heated dish, then top with onion and fresh dill. Immediately but carefully pour vegetable oil on top. This will create smoke coming up from food. Serve immediately with sauce and accompaniments.