Pla Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors

Fish can be a tricky subject. I admit that I made this recipe with red snapper, which was not only expensive, but at the time I was unaware of how badly overfished red snapper is.

And other snapper varieties will do for this recipe, or better yet Halibut.

Plat Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors (based on this recipe)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 filets fish (snapper or halibut)

sea salt

1 cup oil for frying (peanut, rice bran, or canola)

3 kaffir lime leaves (finely sliced)

Handful of cilantro leaves

thai basil, finely chopped

thai chillies, minced

deep fried shallots (you can buy these in asian grocery stores, or mince up shallots and pan fry them until crunchy)

Sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 thai chillies, seeded and minced

4 coriander/cilantro roots, chopped

3 tbsp palm sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp oil (canola, peanut, or rice bran)

1 tsp tamarind concentrate mixed with 2 tbsp water

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp water

Substitutions:

coriander/cilantro roots - parsley root

palm sugar - brown sugar

kaffir lime - basil soaked in lime juice

fish sauce - worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

In a food processor, finely chop garlic, chillies, cilantro roots, and salt.

Make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil, and add palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind concentrate mixed with water and water. Simmer mixture for five minutes and set aside.

Cut three slashes in the filet.

Heat 1 cup oil in a wok until hot enough to pan fry.

Carefully slide the fish into the oil, and cook for a couple minutes each side or until golden brown. (You may need to cook 1 -2 at a time).

Place onto a plate with a paper towel on it to absorb excess oil.

Plate up with sauce, cilantro, minced chillies, and fried shallots.