Wok-smoked red snapper salad

Since discovering the wok-smoking technique, I’ve had fun trying different things. When I finally came to a decision about last night’s dinner, it was while standing at the fish counter at Safeway. They had some fresh whole red snappers – I knew at once what I wanted to do. I would love to have left the head and tail on, but it wouldn’t fit in my basket, so had to remove them. I stuck the head in so as to have the opportunity to enjoy the “cheeks”.

I was concerned that, in order to smoke it evenly, the fish would need turning. That sounded perilous, so I devised a rack of sorts to put in the bamboo basket. I did it by rolling up some aluminum foil into a snake and coiling it under the fish. It worked well enough.

Raw

Cooked
Wok-smoked red snapper salad
1 whole red snapper, about 1.25 lbs.
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper
lemon slices

Make 3 slits on each side of the snapper. Stuff a basil leaf in each slit. Salt and pepper it all over, inside and out.

Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices and basil leaves. Get the smoker going and, when ready, put in the fish. Smoke for about 25 minutes until cooked through (cut a slit next to the backbone and have a peek). Serve hot, or allow it to cool and top a salad with it (as we did after skinning and deboning).