Chargrilled Tilapia with Crisp Mint

Luke Nguyen's journey to Lijiang's market in China has inspired him
to cook this dish right in the middle of the market. 

This dish is so delicious! I love the simplicity of it
and just letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

Ingredients
1 whole tilapia, cleaned
chilli flakes, to taste
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
1/2 tsp sea salt
10 whole dried red chillies
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 spring onions, sliced
2 tbsp roasted crushed unsalted peanuts
1 cup vegetable oil
20 mint leaves

Method
* Heat chargrill pan to mediu-high. Season fish with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Rub the fish with 1 tbsp of the peanut oil, then chargrill on each side about 10 minutes.
* Dry-roast the peppercorns and sea salt over medium-low heat until it becomes aromatic. Remove and transfer in a bowl to cool a little.
* Heat the remaining peanut oil in the same pan and add the dried chillies and cook for a minute or until they become darker. Add the garlic and stir-fry until slightly golden. Be careful not to let the chillies burn.
* Add the spring onion, peanuts and peppercorn mixture. Stir-fry for a few seconds then remove and set aside.
* In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil and flash-fry the mint leaves for a few seconds until crisp but not browned. Drain well.
* Transfer fish on a platter and spoon the spice and peanut mixture over the top. Garnish with fried mint leaves and serve.



Recipe from Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong.