The Ivy’s Thai-baked sea bass

With fragrant rice
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the dipping sauce:
  • 25ml sesame oil
  • 1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
  • 35g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 stick lemongrass
  • 3 lime leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 125ml sweet soy sauce
  • 100ml light soy sauce
For the fragrant rice:
  • 2 sticks lemon grass, bulbous ends crushed
  • 8 lime leaves
  • 1.5ltr salted water
  • 225g basmati rice, washed twice in cold water
For the sea bass:
  • 35ml sesame oil
  • 3 medium chillies, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 3 sticks lemon grass, peeled and bulbous ends roughly chopped
  • 80g fresh ginger or galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 8 lime leaves, roughly chopped
  • 4 sprigs of coriander
  • 8 fillets of sea bass, approximately 200g each, scaled and filleted
  • 1–2 metres banana leaf (you can sometimes order banana leaves from a good Asian or exotic greengrocer, if that fails wrap the fish in foil or greaseproof paper)

Method
First, make the dipping sauce. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and fry the chilli, ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves slowly with the garlic for 1 minute to soften and release the flavours. Add both soy sauces, bring the mixture to the boil, then cool and pour into a bowl, or, ideally, into individual soy dishes.

Now for the rice, simmer the lemongrass with the lime leaves in 1.5 litres of salted water for 10 minutes. Add the rice and simmer for 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Drain in a colander, then return to the pan with a lid on and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. This will help it to become nice and fluffy. Serve the rice in individual bowls or put it in a large bowl to pass around to guests.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the fish.  Heat the sesame oil in a pan and fry the chillies, lemon grass, ginger, garlic and lime leaves for a couple of minutes. Then put them into a food processor with the coriander and chop them finely.  Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6. Spread the paste on each sea bass fillet and wrap in a piece of banana leaf like a parcel, folding the leaf so that the edges join underneath the fillet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the fish on individual plates with the dipping sauce and rice.  

Gary Lee is Executive Chef of The Ivy, The Club at The Ivy and The Private Room. www.the-ivy.co.uk

Picture: Paul Winch-Furness