We're using whole fish, as they do for most fish recipes in India, Thailand and China. But you don't have to fix the fish with the heads left on if that offends your sensibilities.

When purchasing the whole fish, trust your fishmonger. You want enough to feed six people. The fish should be minus their heads and should be properly gutted and cleaned. You want three to four whole fish. Choose something like sole if your family is wimpy. Snapper or rockfish are a good compromise if everyone's a bit more daring. Blue fish or mackerel are for the folks who like a more personable (and marginally oilier) fin fish.

This is a rather exotic recipe, but one that yields a lot more flavor than it does fat, a much-to-be-desired result. The original of this recipe calls for fresh banana leaves, or grape leaves if you can't find the former. I've tried it with butter lettuce leaves and gotten satisfactory results.

To accompany, we rather like rice noodles, which have been soaked in hot water to chewy flexibility, then drained and sauteed with peanuts and chopped scallion in a bit of vegetable oil mixed with sesame oil. When done, we like to stir in some Thai-style hot-sweet chili sauce just before serving. Fresh pineapple makes a nice accompaniment, too.

P.S. "Masala" is something of a generic term for the particular herb/spice mixture that is designed for a particular dish.

P.S.S. You may have to visit a Far Eastern (or Middle Eastern) market for the unsweetened shredded coconut.

3 (or so) whole fish, heads off, dressed

1 teaspoon salt

Juice of 1 large lemon

Masala

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

About 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, coarse stems trimmed, leaves and tender stems chopped (3 to 4 cups)

6 to 8 chopped, fresh jalapeno peppers, stems, seeds and pith removed, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or about 1/2 teaspoon very fresh, ground cumin)

6 large cloves garlic

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Banana leaves, grape leaves or favorite lettuce leaves, for wrapping

Aluminum foil, for wrapping

Lemon and/or lime wedges, for serving

Rinse fish and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a few diagonal gashes on each side of each fish. Pat dry again.

Sprinkle the salt and lemon juice on the outsides and insides of the fish. Rub gently to massage in. Let fish stand in a cool place for about 1 hour.

For the masala, in food processor, combine coconut, cilantro, jalapenos, cumin, garlic, sugar and lemon juice. Pulse process until relatively finely chopped. Use masala to stuff the fish and rub some of the mixture into the gashes you made in the skin, on both sides.

To cook, spray-coat 1 relatively large piece of aluminum foil for each fish (you're going to be wrapping them all around).

Wrap each fish in banana leaves, grape leaves or lettuce leaves. If using lettuce leaves, you may want to cut out the "hard" stem ends to make the leaves more flexible.

Place wrapped fish on aluminum foil pieces, enclosing fish in the foil.

1) You can place fish in a large steamer, or wok (with cover) equipped with a steamer rack. Steam over gently boiling water for about 20 minutes.

2) You can place fish on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes before checking for doneness.

3) You can place fish on rack on the outdoor grill, over indirect heat, and cook for about 30 minutes.

To serve, let fish cool enough so you can handle the foil. Remove foil, then place fish on a serving platter, where you'll pull away the green wrapper. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve right away. Makes about 6 servings.

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