This is a great way to do fresh fish. Basically you bake the fish in a tin foil parcel along with any seasonings you are using. The steam created in the parcel lets the fish really soak up the flavours you have chosen. I have given some ideas of what to put with the fish below, but you could really do anything. When I made this I got my fish from the Sunday market down at Waitangi Park. If you go down to the water there are a couple of fishing trawlers selling their wares. It is really fresh and a lot of fun. I used tarakihi but what fish you use is up to you.
Ingredients:
2 fillets of fish
2 heads of bok choi
1/2 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely diced
1 large clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 lime
Tin foil
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and cut out two big rectangles of tin foil (about the size of a standard chopping board). In the centre of each place a fish fillet. Using a clean jam jar or similar, shake up the garlic, chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, brown sugar and the juice of half the lime. Shake well, and then taste—does it need more salt? If so, put in more soy sauce. If it is too sour then add more sugar. The seasoning should be how you like it. Pour this, evenly, over each of the fish fillets. Place a (well washed) head of bok choi on each fish fillet and wrap the tin foil up and around the the fish. You want to create a secure parcel with no gaps (it is handy to fashion the seam into a handle). Place each of the parcels on a tray in the oven and bake for around 10 minutes. The time it takes to cook will depend on the thickness of your fish. You can check to see if it is done by opening the parcel a little and prodding the fish with a fork. If the meat flakes with encouragement from your fork, and is white, then your fish is done—if not, tightly wrap up the parcel and give it more time. It is okay if the fish is still a little translucent in the centre though—you don’t want to overcook the fish. Open up each parcel onto a dinner plate and spritz (gosh that’s an awful word) the other half of the lime over the fish. The bok choi should be wilted and lovely and nutritious… If it is a little boring for you add some sesame oil.