Deep-Fried Fish with Three-Flavored Sauce Recipe
 You can use lime juice in this dish if you
prefer a clear sauce, or tamarind for a thick or darker-colored sauce.
Use two or four smaller fishes if you can't find one fish large enough.
Garnish with holy basil if you can find it.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
1 x 350 g/12 oz sea bream, red snapper or
grey mullet
3 tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
Pinch of ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
5 long red chilies, seeded and roughly
chopped
4-5 Asian shallots, roughly chopped
3 cilantro (coriander) roots, finely chopped
3 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons tamarind puree or lime juice
A few holy basil or Thai sweet basil leaves,
for garnish
Method:
Clean and gut the fish, leaving the head on.
Dry the fish thoroughly. Score the fish three or four times on both
sides with a sharp knife.
Rub the fish inside and out with a pinch of
salt. Put the flour and ground pepper on a plate or dish and press the
fish lightly into it until coated with flour from head to tail. Shake
off any excess.
Heat 10 cm/4 inches oil in a large wok or
pan big enough to deep-fry the whole fish. When the oil seems hot, drop
a piece of shallot into the oil. If it sizzles straight away, the oil is
ready. Lower the heat to medium and gently slide the fish into the oil.
Be careful as the hot oil may splash. Deep-fry the fish on just one side
(but make sure the oil covers the whole fish) for about 15 to 20 minutes
or until the fish is cooked and light brown (if you cook the fish until
brown, it will be too dry). Drain, then put on paper towels before
transferring to a warm plate. Keep warm.
While the fish is cooking, use a pestle and
mortar or a small blender to pound or blend the garlic, chilies,
shallots and cilantro roots together into a rough paste.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or frying pan
and stir-fry the chili paste over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or
until fragrant. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind puree or
lime juice, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sugar has
dissolved. Pour the warm chili sauce over the fish and garnish with
basil leaves.
Happy Cooking,
Carol |
