Asian style Giant Trevally recipe

Author: JayPenfold

Category: Fish recipes

Created on Tuesday, 20 April 2010 20:27

Written by Jay 'Yakfisher' Penfold

Asian style Giant Trevally with bok choy and boiled chat potatoes

Had a very fast session today in an attempt to redeem myself after catching a big donut at the KFT round 3 event. Had just spooled up the reel with some 4lb braid that arrived in the mail yesterday and wanted to have a crack at some Brunswick Bream.  Bingo! Had a fiesty 20cm model onboard in the first ten casts, lots of bumps and then bang!  Something solid was tearing off line and trying to brick me in the sticks. Managed to turn his head and point him out over the shallow gravel race from whence he came. After 5 or so minutes I saw colour, confirming my call of a Caranx ignobilis or Giant Trevally. I hooked him up a couple of hundred meters from my launch site, or "at the end of the street". With dinner in the boat I headed straight for shore and took my catch to the local fish and chip shop to weigh it and get the proprietor to snap  a pic for the write up. She went 975 grams, so I'm calling it a kilo if thats ok with everyone.

These enigmatic kilo fish would have to be one of my favourite table fish of late.  They have a wonderfully tight texture and an almost Prawn like flavour.  I could already picture the dish when I still had the fish high  in the water column. This dish wastes nothing as it cooks on the bone and delivers maximum flavour, not to mention a little wow factor at the table.

Ingredients:

1 x Ikg Giant Trevalley (Caranx ignobilis)
1 x knob of ginger peeled and matchsticked
2 x cloves garlic sliced thinly
3 x Shallots, whites only, julliened
2 x ts shaoxing rice wine
1 x tbs dark soy
1 x tbs light soy
few drops sesame oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius,

Gut the fish and score one side three times at about 40 degrees to the gill cover. Place on a piece of baking paper large enough to wrap the fish entirely, then place on a piece of alfoil that will wrap that parcel entirely. Mix the soy, sesame and shaoxing and pour over the fish, ensuring liquid finds its way into the scored flesh. scatter all the other ingredients over the fish and wrap nice and tight, ensuring a tight seal. Place onto a baking tray and cook for 30-35 minutes.  Remove and serve immediately on a nice platter with a crisp Riesling, preferably Eden or Barossa Valley. Garnish with finely julienned shallot greens. I chose to serve with some pan seared bok choy and sesame seeds and some boiled and buttered chat potatoes, but rice and stir fry veg would be perfect too.

Serves:

A 1kg fish should feed two or three people most adequately with sides.

Where: Upper Brunswick River, Nth NSW
When: 11:20Am Launch, 12:20 Retrieve
Conditions: Overcast, raining, generally uncomfortable.
Tide: High, 1:51PM
Moon phase: Waxing Crescent 36% full
Fish caught: Giant  Trevalley
Lure of the day: Gulp Baby Shrimp natural colour