×
Donal Skehan
Crispy Thai Style Whole Fried Fish with Spring Green Coriander Salad | DonalSkehan.com
  • spring-2

Crispy Thai Style Whole Fried Fish with Spring Green Coriander Salad

May 19

A nice example of Irish produce at the core of recipes which borrow big flavours from abroad. The skin crackles, the flesh stays soft, and alongside it a sharp, herb-packed salad with lime, coriander and chilli which cuts straight through.

  • serves Serves 2
  • time 30 minutes

Method

  1. 1. Begin by assembling the salad, mix the papaya, shallots, 1 chopped Thai red chilli, the coriander, Thai basil, cashews and crispy garlic chips together in a bowl. Drizzle over the sesame oil and the juice of ½ a lime and toss everything together to combine.
  2. 2. In a separate small bowl mix together the juice of 1 lime, the garlic clove, fish sauce, caster sugar and the remaining 1 chopped Thai red chilli, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and check the seasoning, adding more lime or sugar to taste. Set the salad and the nam pla aside.
  3. 3. Put the oil into a large wok and place over a medium high heat. Bring the oil temperature up to 180 C.
  4. 4. Wash the fish well and then dry really well with kitchen paper then score through the skin and flesh a few times on both sides of the fish.
  5. 5. Mix together the rice, tapioca and plain flours then lightly rub the fish with the salt and coat in the flour mix.
  6. 6. Fry the fish for about 8 - 10 minutes until crispy, golden and cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
  7. 7. Plate the fish onto a serving dish and sprinkle with some sea salt to finish then serve alongside the salad, nam pla, some Thai chilli paste if using and a few lime wedges for squeezing.

Ingredients

2 whole sea bass, gutted and scaled

4 tbsp fine salt

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Neutral oil for deep frying

For the salad:

1 small green papaya, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch dice

2 small shallots, finely sliced

2 Thai red chilies, finely diced

1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced

Large handful of cilantro, chopped plus extra to garnish

Small handful of Thai basil, plus extra to garnish

1/2 cup cashews, toasted and roughly chopped

1 tbsp crispy garlic chips

1 tbsp sesame oil

Juice of 2 limes

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

3 tbsp + 1 tsp Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Thai chili paste, to serve

2 whole seabass, gutted and scaled 

75g fine salt

150g rice flour

75g tapioca flour

2 tbsp plain flour

Neutral oil for deep frying

For the salad

1 small green papaya, peeled and diced into 1cm dice

2 small shallots, finely sliced

2 Thai red chillies, finely diced

1 stalk lemongrass, white bit only, finely sliced

Large handful of coriander, chopped plus extra to garnish

Small handful of Thai basil, plus extra to garnish

75g cashews, toasted and roughly chopped

1 tbsp crispy garlic chips 

1 tbsp sesame oil

Juice of 2 limes

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

50ml Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

Thai chilli paste, to serve