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.
Thai
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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