Thai · Dinner
Crispy Garlic Whole Fish
Pla Tod Kratiem
A Bangkok garlic-fried whole fish of a small sea bass scored and shallow-fried until the skin shatter-crackles, smothered in a generous tangle of fried garlic and white pepper, plated over jasmine rice with cucumber and a fish-sauce-lime dipping sauce.
$$$
10 minsPrep
20 minsCook
30 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
785Calories
38gProtein
52gFat
48gCarbs
8gSugar
2gFiber
1240mgSodium
70mgChol
Goes well with
Sancerre LoireSancerre Loire — A refreshing pairing fo...
local
Singha lagerSingha lager — A crisp, refreshing beer...
international
Instructions
1
Prep
Pat both sea bass dry with kitchen paper. Dust thoroughly with white pepper, then dredge in cornflour, coating every cut and surface. Crush 24 garlic cloves coarsely; chop 16 garlic cloves finely. Slice cucumber into thin rounds.
2
Fry
Heat 1000ml neutral oil in a deep wok over medium-high heat 5 minutes until 175°C. Carefully lower the dredged sea bass in one at a time and fry 8–9 minutes per fish, turning once, until skin shatters and crisps to deep golden and flesh flakes cleanly with a fork. Cook the second fish while the first drains.
3
Crisp
Lift each fish onto a wire rack to drain off the heat 3 minutes. Pour off all but 3 tbsp oil from the wok over medium heat 30 seconds, add chopped garlic and fry 90 seconds until pale golden and crisp throughout.
4
Build
Pound bruised bird chillies in a mortar with palm sugar off the heat 30 seconds. Whisk in fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl until sugar dissolves into a glossy sour-salty-spicy dipping sauce.
5
Plate
Lay both fish on a wide platter, scatter crispy fried garlic generously across each fish. Plate jasmine rice and cucumber slices alongside, set dipping sauce in a bowl, scatter coriander leaves on top.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 700g (24.7 oz) whole sea bass
- 40 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- 60g (2.1 oz) cornflour
- 60ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce
- 60ml (1/4 cup) lime juice
- 20g (4 tsp) palm sugar
- 6 Thai bird chillies
- 40g (small handful) coriander leaves
- 1 small cucumber
- 1000ml (4 1/4 cup) neutral oil
- 300g (10.6 oz) cooked jasmine rice