Vietnamese Baked Snapper With Oriental Dressing and Herb Salad

I absolutely love Vietnamese food.  I find the flavours so fresh and well balanced. This is the first time I have made this Snapper and it has worked a treat.

The Snapper is baked in the enveloped baking paper (en papillote).  This nicely steams the fish and encases all the flavours you have placed in your little parcels.


Serves 4 - 6


Baked Snapper

2 Snappers approximately 1-1.5kg each

2 Lemongrass stalks - bruised and cut in half

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil


Herb Salad

1/4 cup roughly chopped corriander

1/4 cup mint leaves

2-3 red chillis finely sliced

2 stalks of green shallot finely sliced


Palm Sugar Dressing

1 red chilli finely sliced

50g palm sugar*

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon salt reduced soy sauce

Juice of 2 small limes

*Palm Sugar is available at Asian Grocers.  If you are unable to find use 1 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar.


Baked Snapper:

Cut 4 slits along each side of the fish which will enable your sauce to penetrate through to the flesh.

Cut 4 pieces of baking paper bigger than the size of your fish.  Place 2 pieces of paper on top of each other and place each fish on top.

Season fish with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Place the lemon grass stalks alongside each fish.

Fold in the sides of the baking paper to encase the fish - just as you would wrap a present.

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

Once the fish is in the oven, make the herb salad which will top your fish once cooked.

To make the herb salad:

In a bowl, place the roughly chopped corriander, the green shallot, the mint leaves, the green shallot and chilli and toss to combine.  Set aside.

To make the Oriental sauce:

In a bowl add the finely grated palm sugar, the fish sauce, the soy sauce, the chilli and the lime juice.  Mix to combine and taste to check for well balanced flavours.  The sauce should be a balance of sweet, sour with a little kick from the chilli.

Once the fish is cooked remove from oven and open the baking paper.  Top with the herb salad and drizzle the sauce all over.

Serve with steamed Jasmine Rice.



Enjoy!