BOMBAY FISH STEAMED IN BANANA LEAVES

Bombay Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves image

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

For herb sauce
3 large garlic cloves
1 to 2 small fresh serrano chiles 1/2 cupgrated fresh coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
6 untreated fresh or thawed frozen banana leaves or large Swiss chard leaves
six 5-ounce pieces salmon or haddock fillet with skin

Steps:

Make sauce:
Mince garlic and, wearing protective gloves, mince serranos. In a blender purée all sauce ingredients until smooth.
If using banana leaves, cut away ribs and in a large bowl of hot water soften leaves 1 minute to help keep them from splitting. Cut six 8-inch squares from leaves. On a work surface arrange 1 leaf square and pat dry. Spread 1 teaspoon herb sauce down middle of square to equal length of a piece of fish and arrange piece, skin side down, on sauce. Spread 1 tablespoon sauce over piece. Fold top and bottom edges of leaf over piece and fold sides of leaf over piece, enclosing it. Arrange packet, seam sides down, in a bamboo steamer or on a large steamer rack. Make 5 more packets in same manner and arrange in steamer or on rack.
Steam packets over boiling water, covered, until fish is just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve fish immediately.