Whole Snapper with Cilantro Peanut Pesto and Nuom

We started cooking out of Chris Shepherd's Cook Like a Local in July and this was our first recipe tried. I got a whole red snapper and this looked promising.  I made the sauces and my spouse prepped and cooked the fish.  It was a great balance of sweet, salty, sour, and hot.  A real flavor bomb.

Peanut Pesto

• 2 cups roasted peanuts
• 5 garlic cloves
•   1 whole bunche cilantro
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
•   1bunch green onions
• 1 cup Red Boat fish sauce
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 limes, juiced

• 1 whole red snapper, 2-3 lbs, scaled and cleaned
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• ¹⁄₄ red onion, shaved
• 1 lime, halved
• ¹⁄₂ red chili, thinly shaved
• garlic chives, cut into 1-inch sticks, for garnish
• crushed peanuts, for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste 

Nuom Chac

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sambal oelek
  

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make the Vietnamese Peanut Pesto: Place the first 8 ingredients in blender except for the peanuts and blend until smooth. Transfer to a food processor, add the peanuts and pulse until peanuts are chopped but still chunky. Set aside. 
3. Make the Nuom Chac: In a small bowl, whisk together water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add in lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and sambal oelek and stir to combine. Use 1/2 c. for this and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
4. Season the snapper on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Place on a hot grill, and grill evenly on both sides, allowing fish to cook for 10-12 minutes or until done.
5. Carefully remove the fish from the grill smear even layers of the pesto over the entire fish. Reserve extra pesto.
6. Place fish on serving plate and pour 1/2 c. nuoc chac over the top, then garnish with red onions, red chiles, garlic chives and crushed peanuts. Serve with sliced lime wedges.