Leatherjacket Oven Roasted with Lemongrass & Garlic

COMPLIMENTARY RECIPE

“Leatherjacket is very underrated and is considered a bycatch species, a fish inadvertently caught while pursuing a more valuable prize. I think it has an amazing texture, it can carry big flavours such as lemongrass, soy or curry spices, and, once cooked, the flesh just slides off the bone.” - Chef Mark Jensen

SERVES 4, as a main

INGREDIENTS

4 lemongrass stems
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
juice of 1 lemon
4 x 350 g leatherjackets (they are usually sold with the heads and skin removed)
2 lemons, halved
1 handful of coriander sprigs
SPRING ONION OIL
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 spring onions, green part only, finely sliced

METHOD

To make the spring onion oil, place the vegetable oil and spring onion greens in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the spring onions until they just start to simmer in the oil, then remove the pan from the heat. Allow the spring onions to cool in the oil.

Peel the tough outer leaves off the lemongrass. Finely slice the bottom white 6-8cm section, then chop very finely. To make the marinade, combine the chopped lemongrass, garlic, chilli, fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice and spring onion oil in a bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Lay the fish on a chopping board and make four diagonal cuts along the flesh, not quite through the bone. Repeat the process on the other side. Once you have prepared all of the leatherjackets, place them in a large non-reactive dish. Rub the marinade evenly into all the fish and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the fish from the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature. Place the fish on a baking tray with the lemon halves and cook for 20 minutes, or until the flesh is opaque to the bone. Serve garnished with coriander sprigs.