Thai Sea Bass Grilled in Foil
This recipe originally comes from my friend Deb. There was a group of us that, for years, had a quarterly cooking club. There were 4-6 couples and we would trade off hosting each time. It was so much fun, where we all had great adventures in the kitchen, challenging ourselves with new dishes.
Since then, this recipe has become a favorite of one of our daughters. On her recent visit she requested it. It’s actually a great recipe for a crowd, but a little expensive if you use sea bass. Other firm fish can be substituted but it’s worth the splurge on the sea bass for sure.
The beauty of this recipe is that it is interchangeable. Use what veggies you have. On this day we had an extra zucchini so I julienned that with all of the other veggies. Just make sure they are similar sizes so they cook equally. The limes and green onions are for garnishing at the end.
Like all Thai food I have eaten, and made at home, in my experience, it’s the bright fresh flavors, that make it so special. The “heat” can be controlled with curry paste, chili oil and chili flakes.
The sauce is super simple.
Most grocers will have national brands available of the canned ingredients.
As you’ll see in our posts, we are big Costco fans. We appreciate their quality, their variety and how such a big warehouse can be so efficient for shopping. Our local Costco has only just started selling sea bass packaged this way. They don’t have it very often, but we were lucky today they did. As mentioned, even at Costco, it’s not an inexpensive fish! Cod or any other firm fish can be substituted.
Par boil the baby potatoes so they will cook evenly with all the rest.
Now the fun begins. Everyone can make their own foil packs. We get the heavy duty foil out in even pieces, then let the family create. The veggies go fast. We actually went through 4 bell peppers as they are a favorite around here.
Grab a sharpie and write names on the outside of the foil packs to be sure all get their own creation!
Let the kids create too!
This sweet guy and his cousins, all made their own foil packs! We did substitute salmon for the kiddos, and did not add the sauce, but they loved adding their own veggies!
A perfect creation
Add a shrimp or two on top to complete. This one also had chili flakes and chili oil to add additional heat. Best practice is to add the sauce after closing all but one side of the foil pack. The sauce will allow the fish to somewhat steam on the grill in all that delicious Thai flavor.
Perfectly imperfect as it comes out of the pack! We use pasta bowls ladled with rice. Then open one end of the foil pack and slide into the bowl. The fish may come apart but it still makes a very pretty dish. Top with fresh chopped green onion and lime wedge on the side.
Everyone absolutely loved it!
Thai Sea Bass Grilled in Foil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 18 raw shrimp, peeled, tail on
- 9 oz mixed vegetables, such as carrots, leeks, bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini; julienned
- 18 small potatoes, par boiled
- 6 pieces of foil
- Sliced scallions and lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Make the marinade by combining the coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and lime zest in a shallow dish.
- Place fish in the marinade and marinate for 30 minutes. If desired, the shrimp can be added to this marinade as well.
- Preheat oven or grill to 400 degrees.
- Assemble the foil packs by laying out the individual pieces of foil. Place the fish on first. Then place the potatoes around the fish. Add the veggies to the top of the fish.
- Complete with 1-3 shrimp on top of all.
- Wrap by pinching the edges of each pack together, leaving one side open. Pour in a desired amount of marinade. Seal all sides.
- Bake on the grill or oven for 25 minutes.
- Just before serving, garnish with scallions and lime on the side.
- Enjoy!
