recipes

crispy whole fish with tamarind dressing

• 400g whole snapper, guttered and scaled
• rice flour, for dusting
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 5cm pieces ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup (70g) chopped roasted peanuts
• ½ cup basil leaves
• ½ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves

tamarind dressing

• ¼ cup tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) water

To make the tamarind dressing, place the tamarind, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and water in a non-metallic bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Use a small sharp knife to score the fish skin on both sides.+ Dust the fish in rice flour and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat until hot. Cook the ginger for 1–2 minutes or until crispy. Remove the ginger and drain on absorbent paper. Cook the fish for 5–6 minutes each side or until golden and crispy. Drain on absorbent paper. Place on a serving platter, top with the ginger, peanuts, basil and coriander and spoon over the dressing to serve. Serves 2.
+ Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the fish for you. Scoring the fish helps it to cook evenly.