serves
2
prep
10 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
2
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 whole flounder, about 1 kg, cleaned
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 small red (Spanish) onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cumquat (or a tiny wedge of mandarin), cut into four
- 3-4 slices lemon
- 1-2 tbsp white wine
Instructions
Prepare a campfire and allow the coals to become white before cooking. Alternatively, preheat a charcoal barbecue or oven to 200°C.
Rub the fish all over with a little salt and pepper. Lay a large sheet of modern banana leaf (foil) on the bench. You may want to use two layers as most domestic foil is thin and weak. Place half the fennel, garlic, onion and cumquat in the centre of the foil, spreading it to make a base about the same size as the fish, then place the fish on top. Spread the remaining ingredients over the top. Lay the lemon slices over. Draw up the sides of the foil, then drizzle the fish with wine before sealing the parcel. The idea is to keep a little air in the parcel with the fish but sealing the whole thing really well so that none of the cooking juices can escape.
Place into the hot coals or bake for 15-25 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish. Carefully open the parcel, making sure none of the juices spill out. Discard the cumquat, then serve the fish with the juices and aromatics.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
