Photograph of the finished Grilled Fish with Chilli Salt

Vietnam · Cá nướng muối ớt

Grilled Fish with Chilli Salt

45 min Hands-on time + 30 min waiting
EasyDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Red tilapia Red tilapia 3.5 lb
  • Photograph of Coarse salt Coarse salt 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Chilli Chilli 20
  • Photograph of Lemongrass Lemongrass 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 24 cloves
  • Photograph of Oil Oil ⅔ cup
  • Photograph of Sugar Sugar 1.7 oz
  • Photograph of Lime Lime 2
  • Photograph of Herbs Herbs 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

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.

Start cooking