This recipe transforms a mild freshwater fish into a vibrant Thai-inspired dish bursting with citrus, heat, and umami. The grilled snakehead fillet is kissed with lime and salt before being topped with a bold chili-cilantro paste that combines garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce for perfect balance—bright, spicy, and deeply aromatic.
Ingredients:
- 1 snakehead filet
- 1 lime, juiced
- cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 thai chili pepper
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- water
 Directions:
- Preheat grill to 400 degF
- Treat each side of your filet with lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Put the filet on the grill, cooking for 3-5 minutes on each side, until flaky.
- Add garlic, ginger, pepper, cilantro, soy sauce, fish sauce, and a splash of water to a mortar and pestle and work the mixture until it forms a chunky paste.
- Pull the fish from the grill and spread the cilantro mixture on top of the cooked filet.
Snakehead fish are native to Asia and Africa and prized in Thai and Cambodian cuisine for their firm, white, boneless fillets that hold up beautifully on a grill. In the U.S., they’re considered invasive—but they also make for excellent eating, with a taste similar to grouper or snapper. Snakehead flesh is dense and meaty. High heat caramelizes the surface while keeping the inside moist.
