Asian Inspired Roasted Red Snapper & Braised Bok Choi

We bought a Kamado grill.  Need I say more?  Once I figured out how to light it, things have been cooking on it like no tomorrow.  First I threw a butterflied leg-o-lamb on it.  That thing had been marinating in my fridge for over 24 hrs.  It didn’t quite come out blog-worthy, due to temperature control learning curve, but Pashka-dog had thoroughly appreciated a good half of it when I stepped out of the kitchen for a minute and forgot to put it away.  Good for Pashka!

Next, I did your good ‘ole beef burgers for Sunday dinner.  That went quite well, and I even managed to grill some mushrooms and bake sweet potatoes all at the same time, wow!  Also, not quite the blogging material, if you know what I mean, but they turned out quite tasty.  The Kid even managed to chomp one down without ketchup (true story!)

Yesterday, we picked up a good looking wild red snapper, and I decided to give it a try on a grill.  My options were quite interesting, based on what I had in the fridge and pantry.  Imagine my delight when I fished out a bag of organic Bok Choi from the back of the fridge!  It was decided then to go Asian route.  That called for ginger, garlic, cilantro, a little bit of onion (didn’t have scallions), and some chili pepper.  Red potatoes were added for substance, and to cover my bases in case The Kid doesn’t want to eat fish, and Bok Choi was braised in garlicky sauce.  Done!  I even managed to wash dishes while the meal was cooking, and relaxed on the patio for a whole of 5 minutes before the rest of the family showed up.

Aside from being tasty, it turned out to be quite pretty, so now you get to enjoy it.

Here are the What and How:

Asian Inspired Roasted Red Snapper & Braised Bok Choi

*You will need some aluminum foil if you are grilling. If cooking in the oven, baking sheet will do just fine.

For the fish:

• 1 whole snapper, about 2-3 pounds, with head and tail, scaled and cleaned, gills removed
• 1/4 cup onion, or 2-3 scallions
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2″ chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 of a ripe medium size tomato, or a few cherry or grape tomatoes
• juice of half lemon
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3-4 medium red potatoes with skin, quartered
• salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste

For the Bok Choi:

• about 2 lbs fresh baby Bok Choi (about 6-8 pieces), rinsed and cut in half lengthwise
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp Mirin rice wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste

Warm the grill or oven to 400°F.

Clean the fish thoroughly, rinse well, and dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper all over and set aside.

Prepare the sauce by combining onions (scallions), garlic, ginger, cilantro, tomato, lemon juice, pepper flakes, salt and pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil in a processor and pulsing a few times to create salsa-like consistency — fine chunk. Try not to turn it into puree.

With a sharp knife, cut the slits in the fish all the way to the bone, about 2-1/2″ apart.  Place fish on a sheet of aluminum foil if using the grill.  Put the sauce into the slits on both sides of the fish first, then spread the remaining sauce evenly all over the fish.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil around the fish and arrange potato quarters over it. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the potatoes.

Put another sheet of foil over the fish. Grill (or bake) at 400°F for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Leave wrapped in foil until ready to serve.

While the fish is cooking, prepare the Bok Choi.

Melt butter in a wok or a large deep skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic into the melted butter and saute for a minute until garlic is very fragrant. Take care not to burn it.  Add Mirin and soy sauce.

Put Bok Choi into the skillet. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and toss a few times to evenly distribute the seasoning and sauce. Cover snugly with the lid, and cook on medium, shaking occasionally, until Bok Choi is wilted and cooked to your favorite doneness level. Some people prefer it slightly crisp, some — well cooked through.  My favorite doneness level is somewhere in between.