VIETNAMESE CRISPY FISH

Vietnamese Crispy Fish image

Sweet and spicy, snapper holds up really well to this cooking, but feel free to use a fish of your liking. Also you can just use fillets instead of whole fish, but for wow factor whole fish is the way. Serve with rice.

Provided by Chef Lucky

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Vietnamese

Time 31m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 (1 pound) whole red snapper
sea salt to taste
¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
6 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 bird's eye chiles, seeded and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Steps:

Cut heads off each snapper and score skin on each side; sprinkle with sea salt.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add snapper and pan-fry until skin is brown and crispy and flesh flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Place snapper on a serving platter and return skillet to stove top.
Cook remaining oil, tomatoes, chiles, and garlic over high heat in a skillet until tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, fish sauce, and palm sugar; simmer until mixture is reduced slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, cilantro, and cornstarch; simmer until mixture is reduced to a sticky-sauce consistency, about 1 minute more. Pour sauce over fish to serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 401.3 calories, Carbohydrate 12.8 g, Cholesterol 82.1 mg, Fat 17 g, Fiber 2.5 g, Protein 48.3 g, SaturatedFat 2.8 g, Sodium 739.9 mg, Sugar 8.6 g