2 sea bream, gutted and scaled, head and tail left on
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
Ginger, spring onion, garlic
100g rice flour
A small handful of coriander stalks, roughly chopped
3 long red chillies, de-seeded and roughly chopped
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, bashed and sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100 ml water
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 long red chillis, de-seeded and sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
1 green mango, peeled and thinly sliced
1 carrot, ribboned
1/2 cucumber, ribboned
50g crispy onions
Small bunch coriander leaves
Small bunch Vietnamese mint leaves
A small handful of peanuts or cashews
Oil to deep fry
Fresh lime wedges, to serve
Steps
Put the fish in a shallow dish and sprinkle the soy and sugar over. Stuff the cavity with some ginger, sliced spring onions and a few bashed garlic cloves, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, put the coriander roots, chillies, garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass and oil into a spice blender and blend to a paste.
Put the paste into a saucepan and cook for 2 minutes, then add the water, tamarind paste, sugar and fish sauce.
Reduce the sauce by a third them remove it from the heat.
Prepare the salad ingredients and mix together.
Pat the fish dry, then dip them in rice flour until they’re covered.
Heat oil to 180C.
Cook the fish, one at a time, for 8 minutes in the hot oil.
Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the fish piled with the salad, with the sauce on the side to be spooned over.