Keep fish surface dry
Water makes hot oil spray strongly and prevents a crispy skin. After salting, pat dry again thoroughly.
Thai Recipe
Pla Rad Prik
The fish is dabbed very dry, cut into small pieces and cooked in hot oil until crispy. The sweet and sour chilli sauce is produced separately and only comes on top when serving.
Total time
1 hr
Calories
660 kcal
Servings
4 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Why this recipe works
Crunchy Thai fish with sweet and sour chilli sauce
Pla Rad Prik focuses on the contrast between crispy fish skin and a strong, sweet-sour sauce. A whole sea bass or sea bream is sliced, thinly floured and cooked in sufficiently hot oil. Tamarind provides a rounder acidity than lime juice and combines with palm sugar, fish sauce, chilli and garlic to form a shiny sauce. It is only added to the fish shortly before eating so that the crust remains crispy for as long as possible.
Lunch
Dinner
Fish
Vegetables
Recipe
Pla Rad Prik
Pla Rad Prik is a crispy fried whole fish with a shiny Thai sauce of chilli, garlic, tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar.
Ingredients
4 servings
Method
-
1
Prepare fish thoroughly
Rinse the fish inside and outside in cold water and pat dry completely. Cut the fish on both sides at a distance of 3 cm to the midbone without cutting the bones.
-
2
Fish salt and flour
Season fish with a teaspoon of salt and leave to stand for 10 minutes, open and cold. Pat dry again and dust with flour very thinly just before frying.
-
3
Make chilli-garlic base
Roughly crush the garlic and both chilli in a mortar to keep the texture and not to make a smooth purée.
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4
Fish crispy fry
Heat oil in a large deep frying pan to 175 ° C. Carefully place fish in the pan and fry for 7 to 9 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness, until the skin and fins are crisp and the meat reaches 63 ° C.
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5
Drain on a wire rack
Carefully lift fish out and place on a wire rack. Do not cover directly on kitchen paper, as rising steam will soften the underside.
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6
Balance the sauce
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan. Fry the chilli-garlic paste for 1 minute, then add palm sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, water and remaining salt.
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7
Bring sauce to a boil
Simmer the sauce for 4 to 6 minutes until it coats the spoon thinly. It should taste distinctly sweet, sour and salty; add tablespoons of water if necessary.
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8
First cover at the table
Place fish on a plate, sprinkle with shallots, spring onions and coriander, add a portion of the hot sauce, and serve the rest separately with jasmine rice and limes.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for Pla Rad Prik
Put on a grate
A grid allows steam and oil to escape, and the underside of the pan, which has just been fried, quickly softens on a closed base.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
Use four firm fish fillets with skin, flour them thinly and fry them on the skin side first. Depending on the thickness, the cooking time drops to about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Brush fish with oil and bake at 220 ° C for about 25 minutes to 63 ° C. The skin will be less evenly crispy than when frying.
Nutrition per serving
660kcal
37.0 gCarbohydrates
56.0 gProtein
31.0 gFat
Values are estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Pla Rad Prik
Whole sea bass or sea bream has firm flesh and a good frying skin. The fish must be fully scalded, gutted and have a fresh smell.
The cuts allow heat to reach the central bone more quickly, while increasing the crispy surface and giving the sauce a firm hold.
A ready-to-use Thai or Vietnamese tamarind paste fits. Highly concentrated Indian tamarind extracts are significantly stronger and not 1: 1 interchangeable.
At the thickest point near the central bone, the meat should reach 63 ° C, be opaque and easily detached from the bone.
Moisture softens the crispy skin. Therefore, only give a part over the fish and the rest separately for individual follow-up.
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