steamed thai-style sea bass & rice

Ingredients

For the Thai paste

2 large bunches fresh coriander, leaves picked and stalks reserved

2 thumb-sized pieces fresh ginger, peeled

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 fresh red chillies, halved and deseeded

2 teaspoons sesame oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

juice and zest of 2 limes

400 ml light coconut milk

For the sea bass and rice

400 g basmati rice

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 x 170 g sea bass fillets, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, pinboned and skin scored

1 handful sugar snap peas or mangetouts

1 bunch spring onions, outer leaves discarded, trimmed and finely sliced

1-2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

1 lime, quartered

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. In a food processor or liquidizer, whiz up the coriander stalks, half of the coriander leaves, the ginger, garlic, halved chillies, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and zest and the coconut milk. This will give you a lovely fragrant Thai-style paste.

Cook your rice in salted, boiling water until it's just undercooked, then drain it in a colander. Scoop it into a high-sided roasting tray. Pour your Thai paste over the rice and mix it in well, then shake it out flat. Lay the sea bass fillets on top, scatter over the sugar snap peas or mangetouts, then cover the dish tightly with tinfoil and put it in the preheated oven for around 15 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle over the spring onions, the sliced chilli and the other half of the coriander leaves. Divide between your plates with a wedge of lime.