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Poisson Croustillant Sauce Piment (Pla Rad Prik)

Name: Poisson Croustillant Sauce Piment (Pla Rad Prik)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: TH
Ingredients: 1 whole (700 g) fish such as sea bass, tilapia or red snapper, scaled and cleaned; 1/2 tsp salt; 60 g cornstarch, for dusting; 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for the sauce; 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 5 fresh red Thai chilies, finely chopped (less for milder heat); 3 tbsp tamarind paste; 3 tbsp palm sugar, grated or chopped; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 120 ml water; 1 small tomato, diced; 2 tbsp crispy fried garlic (store-bought or homemade); 2–3 fresh red and green chilies, thinly sliced, for garnish; 1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish; 2–3 kaffir lime leaves, very finely shredded, for garnish

20m

Prépa

25m

Cuisson

Portions

Moyen

Difficulté

Poisson entier frit jusqu'à devenir croustillant, nappé d'une sauce brillante au tamarin, sucrée, acide et épicée.

#thai#fish#fried#spicy#tamarind#main-course

Portions

4portions

Ingrédients

Nutrition

calories390

protein20g

carbs28g

fat20g

fiber2g

Par portion

Étapes

Score and season the fish

Rinse the fish and pat it completely dry with paper towels — a dry surface is essential for a crisp, non-splattering fry. With a sharp knife, cut 3–4 deep diagonal slashes down to the bone on each side; this lets the heat reach the thickest part quickly so the fish cooks evenly without curling. Rub salt all over the skin and into the slashes.

1 whole (700 g) fish
1/2 tsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the fish is dry to the touch and the cuts gape open slightly

Dust with cornstarch

Spread the cornstarch on a plate and roll the fish in it, pressing gently so it coats the skin and works into the slashes, then shake off any excess. This thin, even coating is what turns the skin into a crackling shell once it hits the hot oil.

60 g cornstarch

✅ C'est prêt quand : the fish is covered in a thin, even white layer with no thick clumps

Deep-fry the fish

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Build the sauce base

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Simmer the sauce

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Assemble and serve

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Score and season the fish

1 whole (700 g) fish
1/2 tsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the fish is dry to the touch and the cuts gape open slightly

Dust with cornstarch

60 g cornstarch

✅ C'est prêt quand : the fish is covered in a thin, even white layer with no thick clumps

Deep-fry the fish

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Build the sauce base

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Simmer the sauce

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Assemble and serve

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History & Culture

The Story Behind the Dish

📍 Central Thailand📅 20th century🐟 TH

Pla Rad Prik belongs to a family of Thai dishes built around deep-frying a whole fish, a technique shaped by Chinese cooking traditions that settled into Thai kitchens generations ago. The result is dressed in a distinctly Thai sauce, where sour tamarind, salty fish sauce, sweet palm sugar and fiery chilies are balanced together, the way almost every savory dish in Thailand aims to hit all those notes at once.

It became, and remains, one of the most ordered dishes in Thai restaurants both at home and abroad, prized for the contrast between the crackling fried skin and the warm, tangy sauce poured over it at the last moment.

⭐ Why It's Famous

The dramatic presentation of a whole crispy fish under a glossy, fiery-sweet sauce makes it a showpiece dish, while the balance of sour, sweet, salty and spicy captures the heart of Thai cooking in one plate.

💡 Fun Fact

Serving fish whole, head to tail, is considered auspicious in Thai dining — a symbol of completeness and good fortune, which is part of why it so often appears at celebratory meals.

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