As much as I enjoy the occasional fish and chips, Thailand beats the battered, breaded and grilled delights of New Zealand or the UK hands-down (for me, at least) with its deep-fried fish.
As you can see from the photo, no coating is applied. The fish is prepared (often this first involves taking it from a tank and killing it, for the ultimate in freshness) then dropped into hot oil, the exposed flesh being seared a deep brown.
This crispy outer layer is divine. I love the roasted extremities of a joint, and the crunchy texture combined with the intensified carbonised flavour is paradise.
“But what of my soft tender fish?” you might say, a hint of accusation in your tone.
Don’t worry, because beneath that wondrous bronzed veneer the flesh is still as moist and lovely as ever.
I almost want to cry thinking how long it could be before I eat this again (yep, I’m back in the UK). Maybe I’ll try to persuade a local chippy to sully their oil with an uncoated fillet, or if that fails, the house may soon be pervaded with the lingering odour of fried fish as I give in to temptation and attempt it myself.
Looks amazing. Do they scale the fish? Looks like there are some scales in the crispy exterior in that photo.
It does look like there are scales, but perhaps they were a few stragglers. I don’t know if I’d be able to distinguish a deep-fried fish scale from a crispy bit of fish skin or garlic!
Looks tasty – thought it was steak at first glance! Sure you can find a way of recreating the dish in the UK 🙂
We can buy some grey mullet and have a go at re creating
this dish for you, can’t make the weather warmer
though I’m afraid !