Vietnamese Lemongrass Fish

The other day I happened upon a lucky accident. I was moving my West Indian Lemongrass that had been overwintering in the greenhouse to our new home when a chunk broke off. Let me tell you, after having my arms cut up by the lemongrass' defensively sharp leaf blades, I was mildly perturbed that I had not only minorly hurt myself, I had also minorly hurt my plant. Luckily, the plant had grown to enormous proportions in its few years in my care, so it wasn't the end of that, and, as a farmer and compulsive DIY-er I had suffered much greater cuts and scrapes in my day and I knew I could recover from this as well. But it got me thinking...now that I had come by this piece of citrus goodness, what could I do with it? And that got me thinking about my all-time favorite lemongrass eating experience. It has been a while ago now, but it's still fresh in my mind... I was in San Francisco with a friend checking out the Art Institute down there and we happened in to this little Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered the Ca Uop Xa, Lemongrass in Fish Sauce, and what I got was an awesome dish constisting of a whole fish (eyeballs and all) just dripping in onions and lemony goodness. I think I may have licked my plate...I just couldn't stop myself. The combination of fresh fish, lemon, garlic, onion and probably butter was a knockout. And, I was just a tourist travelling with a dear friend who knows me probably too well, so of course all my usual good manners fell to the wayside. So with that thought in mind and my little windfall, I headed to the internet to see what kind of recipes I could find that could mimic my foodlicous fantasy lunch some years ago. This recipe is a result of that search with a few seasonal touches and a bit of flair. FYI: The curry or turmeric in this recipe is mostly to dye the fish yellow, not as much for taste, so don't worry too much about which you use.

Ingredients: 

2 stalks Lemongrass - minced including both green and white parts

2 leeks, cut in half lengthwise then into 1/4" chunks and rinsed

3 cloves garlic, minced 

2 chilies, chopped fine 

1 tsp black pepper 2 Tbsp fish sauce

 1 tsp honey

 1/2 tsp Lemon Curry Powder or turmeric

 1 lime, juiced 

1 1/2 lbs fresh white fish, such as red snapper, cod, or sea bass 

1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

1/2 cup chopped basil (or 3 Tbsp dried) 

4 Tbsp olive oil 

 4 sprigs of cilantro or a few basil leaves for garnish 

 Wild Rice, Prepared

 Combine the lemongrass, leeks, garlic, chilies, black pepper, fish sauce, honey, curry or turmeric and lime juice in a large flat resealable container. Stir or shake. Add the fish and shake it in the container a few times to coat it with the marinade. Set aside for one hour. Now is a good time to start thinking about making your wild rice. After an hour, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is ready, add the fish. Cook on the first side for 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. You want it to brown but not sear. Flip the fish to the other side and add the marinade plus the cilantro and basil. Brown this side same as the first. While the second side is browning, prepare your serving plates with wild rice and garnish. Place fish directly onto plates and top with some of the sauteed marinade mixture. Enjoy! Posted By Bethany