Fish-Sauce Fried Sea Bass (Pla Kapong Tod Nam Pla)

Ingredients

• 1 sea bass (600800g)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• Chopped garlic + bird's-eye chili
• A light dusting of frying flour
• Oil for frying

Method

• Clean and score the fish, pat dry, dust lightly with flour
• Heat oil until very hot; fry over medium-high until skin is golden and crisp on both sides
• Simmer fish sauce + sugar until slightly syrupy; set aside
• Drain the fish, spoon over the sweet fish sauce, top with fried garlic and chili; serve hot

How to choose ingredients

Choose sea bass with clear eyes, bright-red gills, firm springy flesh and no strong smell · Fresh fish fries up crisp-skinned without falling apart.

Chef's secret

Chef's secret: pat the fish thoroughly dry before frying so oil won't spit and the skin turns crisp · the oil must be very hot before the fish goes in · reduce the fish sauce slightly so it glazes and coats the fish beautifully.

Order fresh sea bass, great with Jorasalad seafood sauce, from Fresh Market Online.