Thai Pan Fried Fish

Ingredients

200g/ 6 oz fish (ie Tilapia) per person (fillets or steaks)

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1 tsp sugar or honey

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped

1 stalk of lemon grass, shredded

3 lime leaves, shredded

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and shredded

2 tbsp groundnut oil

soy sauce

rice wine

Instructions:

Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, chopped chillies, lemon grass, lime leaves and ginger. Warm the oil in a shallow pan. When it sizzles add the spice mixture and the fish. Cook for 1 - 2 mins until the fish is golden then turn and cook on the other side. Remove the fish from the pan, Add three shakes of soy sauce and four shakes of rice wine. Bubble for a minute then pour over the fish. Serve hot with rice and greens.

Variations: Mix spice paste in a mortar or blender, spread it on the fish and grill. Or marinate fish in spice paste + soy for 5-10 minutes, then fry in 1-2 tbsp oil till golden. Cook the marinade separately in 1 tbsp oil, adding a handful of mushrooms. Pour over the fish and serve.

Note: Instead of frying I baked the fish with all the spices for half an hour (with foil).