BBQ Fish & King Prawns with Mango Orzo

Name: BBQ Fish & King Prawns with Mango Orzo Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 whole fish (about 800g-1kg), cleaned and scaled; 4 garlic cloves, sliced; 1 thumb ginger, sliced into matchsticks; 2 spring onions, sliced; 1 lime, sliced, plus extra to serve; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sesame oil; Handful coriander; 500g king prawns, butterflied and deveined; 50g butter, melted; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 red chilli, finely sliced; Handful parsley, chopped; 200g orzo; 1 mango, diced; 1 avocado, diced; 1 Lebanese cucumber, diced; 1 tomato, diced; 1/2 red onion, finely diced; 100g feta, crumbled; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp lime juice; Handful mint or coriander, chopped; Salt and pepper, to taste

A whole fish, wrapped in foil with garlic, ginger and lime, and cooked straight on the BBQ until the flesh flakes apart. Butterflied king prawns get the same grill, finished in a garlic chilli butter.

Alongside, a mango orzo salad with avocado, cucumber, tomato and feta — bright, fresh, and built for eating outside.

It's a bit of a production, but a great one for a summer weekend when you've got people over and want the table to look like you tried.

BBQ whole fish, king prawns and mango orzo salad platter

Ingredients

Whole BBQ Fish

1 whole fish (about 800g-1kg), cleaned and scaled

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 thumb ginger, sliced into matchsticks

2 spring onions, sliced

1 lime, sliced, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 handful coriander

Garlic Chilli Butter King Prawns

500g king prawns, butterflied and deveined

50g butter, melted

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

1 handful parsley, chopped

Mango Orzo Salad

200g orzo

1 mango, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 Lebanese cucumber, diced

1 tomato, diced

0.5 red onion, finely diced

100g feta, crumbled

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

1 handful mint or coriander, chopped

Method

Prep the fish:
Score the fish 2-3 times on each side. Stuff the cavity with the sliced garlic, ginger, half the spring onion, and a few lime slices. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, and season.

Wrap and BBQ the fish:
Wrap tightly in a double layer of foil and place on a preheated BBQ over medium-high heat with the lid closed, 20-25 minutes, until the flesh flakes easily.

Cook the orzo:
Boil in salted water until al dente, drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside to cool.

Make the mango orzo salad:
Combine the cooled orzo, mango, avocado, cucumber, tomato, red onion and feta. Dress with olive oil and lime juice, add the herbs, and toss gently. Season to taste.

Prep the prawns:
Mix the melted butter with the minced garlic, chilli, and parsley.

BBQ the prawns:
Grill cut-side down first for 1-2 minutes, flip, then brush generously with the garlic chilli butter and cook another 2-3 minutes until pink and just cooked through.

Serve as a platter:
Unwrap the fish and top with the remaining spring onion and coriander. Serve alongside the prawns and mango orzo salad, with extra lime wedges.

Smart Swaps & Variations

No BBQ? — the fish can be baked in foil at 200°C for about the same time, and the prawns pan-seared or grilled.

Different fish — snapper, barramundi or bream all work well whole.

Couscous instead of orzo — a quicker, gluten-free-friendly base for the salad.

Extra heat — add extra chilli to the prawn butter or a finely sliced chilli through the salad.

Make it a bigger spread — scale the servings up and add extra prawns if you're feeding a crowd.