Easy Baked Fish with Special Thai Sauce

For complete instructions on how to buy and prepare lemongrass, see my All About Lemongrass Guide.

Rinse fish fillets and pat dry. Drizzle a little lime juice over each fillet, then sprinkle with salt.

Place the first fillet in the middle of a sheet of tin foil, parchment paper, or banana leaf. Fold over the ends of the sheet, then the sides. Place seam-side down in a baking pan or dish. Note: Make sure the dish has sides, as some juice might escape.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While the fish is baking, prepare the sauce. Place all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, stirring well. Bring to a soft boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until lemongrass has softened (about 5 minutes).

Turn the heat to low, and do a taste test. If the sauce is too salty for your taste, add a squeeze of lime juice. If it's too sour, add a little more brown sugar. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. Goal: This sauce should be strong and tangy - a balance between sweet and sour, with a hit of spice (chilli and garlic).

Cover the sauce to keep it warm.

After 15 minutes, open one of the fish "packets". Insert a fork into the center of the fillet and gently pull apart. If the inner flesh is still translucent, return the fish to the oven for 5 more minutes. If it's opaque and comes apart easily, the fish is done.

If you've used banana leaves, serve the fish right in the packet (just drain out the juices beforehand), placing the packet on a plate. Otherwise, remove the fillets from the foil/paper, and place on plates with the sauce either drizzled over the top, or on the side. Add a sprinkling of fresh coriander and basil leaves, and serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice .

Serving Suggestion: Accompany this fish dish with a Thai salad for a balanced and nutritionally satisfying meal (See suggested recipe links below).