Whole Fried Fish & Tangy Thai Sauce

Serves

4

Ingredients

• 1 white onion, finely diced

• 2 crushed cloves of garlic

• Peanut oil

• 1 tablespoon Trident Stir-Fry Fish Sauce

• 2 tablespoons Trident Sweet Chilli Sauce

• 2 tablespoons water

• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste

• 2 tablespoons palm sugar

• 1 whole fish, gutted and scaled (get your fishmonger to help pick one that’s not too large for a wok - in these photos I used a snapper)

• Plain flour

Bok choy

• Bunch of baby bok choy

• Peanut oil

• Trident Stir-Fry Oyster Sauce

• ½ tablespoon ginger (grated fresh ginger is best but jar ginger will do as well)

• Sesame oil

• Steamed white rice, to serve (use a rice cooker, they're great for setting up and then forgetting)

• Handful of Thai basil, to garnish

Instructions:

• In a fry pan, lightly fry the onion and garlic with a splash of peanut oil so that it starts to soften but not brown. Add the Trident Stir-Fry Fish Sauce, Trident Sweet Chilli Sauce, water, tamarind paste and palm sugar and mix well. It should be a thick sauce.

• Here's the important thing with all Thai recipes, you need to taste the dish at this stage to ensure there is a nice balance of chilli, sweet and sour. If any flavour isn't present, add the required ingredient to ensure that all three tastes are in the sauce. Turn off the heat and leave to the side.

• In a large wok, heat a good quantity of peanut oil for deep frying. Cut deep crisscrossing scores in the flesh of the fish to help the cooking process. Coat the fish in flour and shake off the excess. I always put some flour and the fish in two plastic bags and shake well for this step (use two bags as a fish spike will often break through one bag).

• Carefully slide the fish into the hot oil. A reasonable size fish will usually need to have the tail section then head section cooked as all of it won't fit into the wok. The tail will take about four minutes. Carefully using tongs, slide up to the head. This will take about 6 minutes as the flesh is thicker in this section. Once the flesh is browned and cooked, carefully turn over and repeat for the other side. Drain on paper towels.

• While the fish is draining, prepare the bok choy. Cut the bottom stalks off and put into a pan with a touch of the peanut oil. When it just starts to wilt add a good splash of the Trident Stir-Fry Oyster Sauce and ginger and stir through. Cook for about an extra minute. Add a tiny splash of sesame oil and turn off the heat.

• Place the fish on a large plate for serving, reheat the sauce and pour over. Add the Thai basil as a garnish to finish. Serve with the bok choy and steamed white rice.