Serves 4-6

Sea trout is a superb fish with a delicate flavour that is enhanced by this smoking technique. The fish is effectively “hot smoked” or steamed in the scented tea. It is important that the fish be cooked on a rack and “sitting up” so that the smoke permeates the flesh. Palm sugar has a distinctive rich flavour with a creamy sweetness and a slight nutty flavour. It is made from the concentrated and dried sap of the palmyra tree, and is available in health-food shops and Asian supermarkets. Once it is opened, make sure that you keep it in an airtight container and, if it becomes too hard, break it up with a pestle and mortar.

200g desiccated coconut
200g jasmine rice
200g Lapsang Souchong tea
1 x 500-750g sea trout, scaled and gutted, head on
500ml to 1 litre groundnut oil to fry
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
4 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
2 tbsp mint leaves, torn
100g bean sprouts
4 spring onions, finely sliced
½ mango cut into thin shreds
½ star fruit cut into fine strips
1 small chilli
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Pinch of sea salt
1 dsp palm sugar
Juice of ½ lime
1 tsp fish sauce

1 Take a large wok with a lid and line the base with foil. Place the coconut, rice and tea on the foil. With a sharp knife, score the flesh of the fish 2-3 times on each side. Place a rack in the wok and arrange the fish on top, with the gutted edge on the rack and the fish sitting as it would in the water.
2 Place the wok on a high heat until the tea mixture begins to smoke, and then cover with the lid. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and leave for 45-60 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the wok.
3 Discard the tea, rice and coconut, and carefully remove the skin from the trout. Break the flesh into bite-sized pieces.
4 Pour the oil into a wok until it is 5cm deep. Heat until it is about to smoke and then deep-fry the fish pieces for 10-15 seconds. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Transfer to a bowl, add the soy sauce and sugar, and season with the pepper. Allow to marinate for one hour.
5 Mix the basil, two tablespoons of the coriander, mint, bean sprouts, spring onions, mango and star fruit together in a small bowl.
6 In a pestle and mortar, grind the chilli, shallots, remaining coriander and garlic until you have a fine pulp, then mix in the salt, palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.
7 Add the dressing to the bean sprouts, spring onion, mango and star fruit, and place on a serving plate. Lift the fish from the marinade and place on top of the salad. Serve immediately.

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