Trout braised with caramel, celery, and fish sauce
As many of you may know, love of Thai food runs deep in my veins. (I have more entries for Thai or Thai-inspired dishes on my Recipe List page than Assyrian ones!) So for a long time the encyclopedic cookbook Thai Food by David Thompson was on my wish list. But the $40 list price put me off for a while, until I magically found it at a used book store!
I love perusing the (600+ page!) book and being blown away by the ingredients and unique recipes/combinations of flavors. One day I'll eventually to sit down and read the 100 pages of Thailand history and 50 pages of ingredient descriptions, but for now skimming this book for recipes is pure entertainment. I just wish the book had more pictures, as it's difficult to picture exactly what the final dish looks like.
One of the recipes that does have a photograph is this fish braised in sweetened fish sauce.
I'm usually not a fan of sweet and savory, but this fish was incredible. Sure, it was a touch sweet for my taste, but it's not nearly as sweet as its name implies (no, it's not like eating a caramel). Feel free to cut the sugar down a bit if you're like me, but don't cut it all out as the sweetness really does complement the fish sauce.
Usually the garnish used on dishes isn't totally necessary, but in this case I wouldn't skip the cilantro. It adds a brightness and flavor that just makes the dish pop.
Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline
Trout Braised with Caramel, Celery, and Fish Sauce, from Thai Food
Ingredients
1 TBSP oil
3 TBSP palm sugar (brown sugar can be used as a substitute)
3 TBSP fish sauce
stock or water
1 medium trout (8+ oz), whole or filleted (any other white fish will work here as well)
2 TBSP chopped Asian/Chinese celery (regular celery and/or celery leaves will work here as well)
2 red shallots, peeled and finely sliced (I used red onions since that's what I had on hand)
1 TBSP cilantro
pinch white pepper
paste
2 tsp cilantro root (this is pretty impossible to find in the US, so I just used cilantro stems)
pinch salt
1 TBSP chopped garlic
10 white peppercorns
Directions
I love perusing the (600+ page!) book and being blown away by the ingredients and unique recipes/combinations of flavors. One day I'll eventually to sit down and read the 100 pages of Thailand history and 50 pages of ingredient descriptions, but for now skimming this book for recipes is pure entertainment. I just wish the book had more pictures, as it's difficult to picture exactly what the final dish looks like.
One of the recipes that does have a photograph is this fish braised in sweetened fish sauce.
I'm usually not a fan of sweet and savory, but this fish was incredible. Sure, it was a touch sweet for my taste, but it's not nearly as sweet as its name implies (no, it's not like eating a caramel). Feel free to cut the sugar down a bit if you're like me, but don't cut it all out as the sweetness really does complement the fish sauce.
Usually the garnish used on dishes isn't totally necessary, but in this case I wouldn't skip the cilantro. It adds a brightness and flavor that just makes the dish pop.
Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline
Trout Braised with Caramel, Celery, and Fish Sauce, from Thai Food
Ingredients
1 TBSP oil
3 TBSP palm sugar (brown sugar can be used as a substitute)
3 TBSP fish sauce
stock or water
1 medium trout (8+ oz), whole or filleted (any other white fish will work here as well)
2 TBSP chopped Asian/Chinese celery (regular celery and/or celery leaves will work here as well)
2 red shallots, peeled and finely sliced (I used red onions since that's what I had on hand)
1 TBSP cilantro
pinch white pepper
paste
2 tsp cilantro root (this is pretty impossible to find in the US, so I just used cilantro stems)
pinch salt
1 TBSP chopped garlic
10 white peppercorns
Directions
- Make the paste: use a pestle and mortar and pound the ingredients together until smooth.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the paste until fragrant and golden. Add sugar, and when it begins to caramelize, add the fish sauce.
- Add stock or water to cover. When it has come to a boil add the fish and celery. (Add more liquid if there isn't enough to braise the fish.)
- Use a spoon to coat the fish with the boiling liquid and just barely simmer on very low heat until cooked: 2-3 minutes for a filet or 5-10 minutes for the whole fish. (I covered the fish for a few minutes to steam it for a bit.)
- Adjust seasoning as needed (salty and sweet).
- Serve fish with sauce and sprinkle with shallots, cilantro, and pepper
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