Crispy Red Snapper with Chile Tamarind Sauce
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
Chile Tamarind Sauce:
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 Thai chile peppers, finely minced (more or less depending on heat preference)
1/3 cup tamarind juice concentrate
2 tablespoons palm sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Fish:
1 (2 pound) whole red snapper, head-on and thoroughly cleaned
Vegetable oil (for frying)
½ cup red bell pepper, julienned
2 scallions, diced
1 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Serves 2.
In a sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Add in the chile peppers and cook for an additional minute. Add the tamarind juice concentrate, palm sugar, fish sauce and water. Continue cooking over medium-low heat while stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat and gently simmer until the sauce has thickened. Taste the sauce and adjust with the desired level of sweetness or heat by adding more chile peppers, palm sugar or tamarind juice concentrate.
While the sauce is reducing, rinse the fish with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Score both sides of the fish about every 1½ inches. Fill a heavy bottom pot or wok with oil deep enough to submerge your fish. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F and carefully slide the fish into the oil. Fry the fish until golden brown—about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the oil and drain on a cooling rack that has been placed on top of a sheet pan. Allow to drain for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a serving dish.
Cover the crispy fish with scallions, red bell pepper and drizzle the sauce all over the top. Add the fresh cilantro and serve immediately with steamed rice.
From theculinarychronicles.com