steamed sea bass with griddled vegetables in a red curry sauce

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Prawn

Bring the spicy flavours of Thailand to a simple midweek curry dish.

2 limes, juice and zest
2 lemongrass sticks, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 tbsp thai fish sauce
1–2 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp crushed fresh galangal
4 red chillies, stalks removed and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp thai shrimp paste
1 tbsp chopped coriander root
3 thai shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp white peppercorns
2 tsp vegetable oil
400ml tin coconut milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the steamed sea bass and griddled vegetables
1 whole sea bass, cut into fillets
6 tenderstem broccoli heads
4 baby corn
3 baby carrots, trimmed
2 baby peppers, stalks and seeds removed
4 thai shallots, peeled, blanched and refreshed
30g/1oz green beans, trimmed
1 green chilli, stalk and seeds removed
1 red chilli, stalk and seeds removed
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp fresh green peppercorns
mixed herbs, such as chervil, thai basil, tarragon, coriander, chives, to garnish

To make the sauce, place all of the ingredients, except the vegetable oil and coconut milk, in a food processor or blender. Blitz until smooth. Pass through a sieve and set aside.
To make the steamed sea bass, wrap the fillets tightly in heatproof cling film and place in a steamer basket. Steam for 8–10 minutes, or until cooked through. To test whether the fish is done, insert a knife into the centre for 10 seconds; it should penetrate easily and feel hot when you remove it. Keep the fish warm.
Heat a large griddle pan over a medium heat. Griddle the broccoli, corn, carrots, pepper, shallots, beans and chillies until charred but still have a little crunch. Add the lime leaves and peppercorns and cook for a further minute.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the red curry paste. Stir in the coconut milk and season to taste.
Transfer the vegetables to a large serving bowl, pour over the sauce and top with the steamed fish. Garnish with the herbs and serve.