Max’s Baked Fish in Banana Leaf
Max Arteaga has worked for us at The Little Farm for 34 years – amazing to imagine that – here he is above on the left, with Clive and our eldest grandsons Jack ( right ) and Jonah – and he has become a truly fabulous cook of Mexican dishes – his home country. He is also our farm manager and all-around fix-it person – whether the problem is plumbing, sprinklers, fish pond and hatchery, goat pens, chickens, quail and turkeys – all depend on him to feed, clean and generally take care of them – as well as the overall upkeep of the 400 exotic fruit trees as well as the’ inside the house’ problems – changing light bulbs, air conditioning filters, septic tank problems, blocked dishwasher pipes, rodent control, fly control and on and on. Yes it is a HUGE job to keep even a small farm in good condition- and Max and his two helpers along with Clive are working daily to keep it all going.
So last week Clive caught some delicious Mahi Mahi in Mexico and we brought it home frozen – and today Max made a wonderful dish for us using our Banana leaves from our mini banana plantation on the farm. You could use salmon, or halibut or any firm fish – and the taste is yummy! This is a great dish to cook with kids as they can season the fish, mix the paste, smooth it on the fish and help fold the fish packages. Hopefully this will encourage them to eat fish too! Enjoy! Here is the final product all folded up!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of fish ( mahi mahi or salmon or halibut)
- 2 Tbsp of butter
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ cup of chopped Italian parsley
- Seasoning mix of cayenne pepper, garlic salt and cumin
- 8 banana leaves, washed and trimmed
Directions:
- Season the fish and place in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few hours to marinate.
- Mix the butter, mayonnaise and parsley together into a paste.
- Take banana leaves and pass them quickly over a flame to soften them so that they will become malleable.
- Pre heat the oven at 400 degrees.
- Place the fish on a single leaf, and spoon the paste you have made over it thickly.
- Fold the leaf like an envelope and place in a casserole that has been lightly oiled with Pam Spray.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Serve with rice and steamed vegetables, or mashed potatoes and a green salad.
