Grilled Fish with Chilli Salt

Method

1. 1 Grind coarse salt with fresh chili peppers, garlic, and lemongrass to create a coarsely ground chili-salt mixture.
2. 2 The salt is pounded until it still has its grain shape, not ground into a fine powder; the grains crackle and pop on the charcoal, giving it a crispy, salty crust.
3. 3 Make diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish, then mix it with salt, chili, oil, and sugar.
4. 4 Rub the mixture all over the belly and the incision lines, then marinate for 30 minutes.
5. 5 Bake at 220 degrees for 22 minutes, flip once and brush with the remaining salt and chili mixture.
6. 6 Squeeze lemon juice on top when serving and eat with fresh herbs wrapped in banana leaves.

With an appliance

• Charcoal grill 40 min

  Grill over charcoal, keeping the grill 15 cm above the grate, for 18 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes as the chili salt coating burns easily.

• Air fryer 40 min

  Hot air fryer at 200 degrees for 18 minutes, flip at minute 10; less smoky than charcoal grilling.