4 fish fillets (barramundi, snapper, hake, whiting or similar)
2 red onions
2 lemons
2 tomatoes
A handful of fresh basil
Salt & pepper
¼ cup white wine
Extra virgin olive oil
4 knobs of butter
4 × 18 inch long pieces of foil
Some silicone or baking paper
Light the burners under the hotplate and pre-heat on high, with the hood open, for 10–15 minutes. While the barbeque is heating up, prepare the fish and foil boats.
Take one piece of foil and lay it fl at, shiny side up. Fold 1/3 of the foil in lengthways, then fold it over again so that it's three layers thick. It should be about 18 × 4–6 inches wide, depending on the width of your foil. Lay it fl at, then scrunch up about 2 inches at each end and gently twist. You can then mold the foil into a canoe-shaped boat. It should be deep enough for the fi sh and the other ingredients to fi t easily inside it. If the boat is too narrow, just undo it and start again, folding the foil into two instead of three.
Cut a piece of silicone paper so that it fi ts into the bottom of the foil boat. Repeat the foil and silicone paper process until you have a boat for each fillet of fish.
Slice the tomatoes, onions and lemons. Place the lemon slices on the bottom of each boat (about 2–3 slices per boat) followed by the onion slices (about 2 slices per boat), then the tomato slices (about 3 slices per boat). The reason for using these ingredients first is that they separate the fish from the foil, which will prevent the fi sh from burning on the hotplate. They also help keep the fi sh moist and infuse flavour from the bottom up during cooking.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and place a knob of butter in each boat. Place the fish fillets on top of the stack and sprinkle with freshly shredded basil leaves. Finally, drizzle a little more oil and add a squeeze of lemon and
some salt and cracked pepper.
By now the hotplate should be well and truly heated. Place the boats onto the hotplate and close the hood. Adjust the burners up or down to keep the temperature at around 220°C, and only use the burners under the hotplate.
Depending on the thickness of the fish, cooking time will be between 20–30 minutes. After about 10 minutes, add a tablespoon of wine to each boat, pouring it so that it settles at the bottom of the boat and not over the fish.
Check the boats every 5 minutes and adjust the heat accordingly .You will know when they are ready when they turn from opaque to white in colour and the fish falls away when you nudge it with a fork. If you're using thick
pieces of fi sh, they are ready when you can easily push a fork through the thickest part of the fillet.
You can serve them as they are in their boats, or move them onto a plate.
