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Sea bass with sweet and sour sauce and green apple and cashew salad

Sea bass with sweet and sour sauce and green apple and cashew salad

Sweet, salty, sour and seriously moreish sea bass with a glossy tamarind sauce its skin fried to a shattering crisp. Alongside, a crunchy green apple and cashew salad with fresh herbs keeps every bite bright, cool and refreshing.

Prep: Less than 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves: Serves 2
Dietary: Contains fish, nuts and shellfish traces
John Chantarasak photo of the chefBy John Chantarasak
From Saturday Kitchen

Nutri-Score C rating for sea bass with sweet and sour sauce

Sea bass brings lean protein and omega-3s, and the apple-and-herb salad adds fibre and vitamins, but the deep-frying, palm sugar and fish sauce push the score down. Enjoy it as an occasional treat, and drain the fried elements well on kitchen paper.

Approximate nutrition per serving: 850 kcal | Fat 58g | Carbohydrates 42g | Sugars 34g | Fibre 4g | Protein 42g

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Ingredients

For the sweet, salty and sour sauce

  • 1 tbsp coriander root
  • 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Thai shallot, chopped
  • 3 long red chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp chilli broad bean paste
  • 100g/3½oz palm sugar
  • 60g/2¼oz tamarind purée
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

For the salad dressing

  • 1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 red bird’s-eye chillies, chopped
  • 1 tbsp coriander root
  • 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce

For the green apple and cashew salad

  • 2 tbsp raw cashews
  • 4 makrut lime leaves, fresh or frozen
  • 1 lime, juice only
  • 2 green apples, such as Bramley or Granny Smith
  • 2 tbsp Thai shallot, thinly sliced
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, root and tough outer leaves removed, thinly sliced
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, fresh or frozen, finely shredded
  • 3 tbsp coriander leaves
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves

For the sea bass

  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp kombu dashi powder
  • 2 x 300g/10½oz wild sea bass fillet, skin on
  • 1 tbsp Thai basil leaves, chopped
  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • ½ tsp salt

Customise

Ingredient swaps that hold up beautifully in this sea bass recipe:

  • Swap palm sugar for soft light brown sugar — it will not be identical, but the caramel note still comes through.
  • Replace Thai shallot with regular banana shallot or a small red shallot.
  • Use sea bream or snapper fillets instead of sea bass if that is fresher at the fish counter.
  • Substitute kombu dashi powder with a pinch of MSG or a little light soy sauce for savoury depth.
  • Swap Thai basil for extra coriander leaves if you cannot track it down.
  • Replace yuzu-style citrus notes — a splash of extra lime juice in the dressing does the trick if makrut lime leaves are hard to find.

Method

Make the sweet, salty and sour sauce (20 minutes — can be made ahead)

  1. Pound the aromatics. In a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander root, chopped garlic, Thai shallot and deseeded red chillies to a rough paste. No mortar? A blender works just as well. Taking a moment to get the paste smooth here means the sauce will cook evenly and taste deeper.
  2. Fry the paste. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the paste until it smells fragrant, stirring regularly so it does not catch and turn bitter.
  3. Build the sauce. Add the chilli broad bean paste, palm sugar and 60ml/2fl oz water. Bring everything to the boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
  4. Balance the flavours. Stir in the tamarind purée and fish sauce, and keep simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste it — you are looking for that magic sweet, sour and salty balance with a gentle chilli hum. Adjust as you like, then set it aside. You can easily make this a day ahead; the flavours only improve.

Whizz up the salad dressing (5 minutes)

  1. Pound the dressing base. Use your pestle and mortar again (fewer washing-up wins) to pound or blend the red chillies, bird’s-eye chillies, coriander root, garlic and salt to a paste. This one packs heat, so go steady with the bird’s-eye chillies if you are serving chilli-shy guests.
  2. Season the dressing. Mix in the palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce until the sugar dissolves completely. Give it a taste — it should be punchy and bright, ready to wake up the salad later.

Fry the cashews and lime leaves, prep the apple (15 minutes)

  1. Heat the oil. Heat the vegetable oil for deep-frying to 190C — a cooking thermometer takes the guesswork out. CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave it unattended.
  2. Deep-fry the cashews and lime leaves. Drop in the raw cashews and fry until golden, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Do the same with the 4 whole makrut lime leaves, frying them only briefly until crisp and vividly green — they cook in seconds, so stay close.
  3. Prep the apple. Fill a bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lime juice. Cut the apples into long 3mm/⅛in-thick matchsticks and drop them straight into the lime water. This quick bath keeps them crisp and stops them browning while you cook the fish.

Marinate and fry the sea bass (15 minutes — overlaps with the salad prep)

  1. Marinate the fish. Mix the fish sauce, caster sugar and kombu dashi powder in a shallow dish. Score the skin of the sea bass in a few shallow cuts — this helps it crisp and cook evenly — then add the fillets to the marinade. Keep it to 10 minutes maximum; any longer and the fish sauce will start to cure the flesh.
  2. Deep-fry the sea bass. Lift the fish out of the marinade and shake off the excess. Lower the fillets into the 190C oil and deep-fry for 5 minutes, until golden, crisp and cooked through. Remove and drain on kitchen paper — that crackling skin is the reward for your patience.
  3. Crisp the Thai basil. Deep-fry the Thai basil leaves for just a few seconds — they crisp up almost instantly — then remove and drain on kitchen paper. They turn beautifully glassy and delicate.

Dress the salad and serve (5 minutes)

  1. Toss the salad. Drain the apple matchsticks really well and pop them into a mixing bowl with the fried cashews, sliced Thai shallot, lemongrass, shredded makrut lime leaves, coriander and mint. Pour over the dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated — use your hands for the gentlest mix.
  2. Plate up the fish. Lay the crispy sea bass on a serving plate and spoon over enough of the sweet, salty and sour sauce to coat it generously. Scatter the crisp Thai basil leaves over the top.
  3. Serve alongside. Pile the green apple and cashew salad next to the fish and crown it with the crisp makrut lime leaves. Serve straight away while the skin is still gloriously crackly.

Additional Notes

  • The sweet, salty and sour sauce can be made a day ahead and gently reheated — the flavours deepen overnight.
  • Marinate the sea bass for no longer than 10 minutes, or the fish sauce will begin to cure the flesh.
  • Never leave hot deep-frying oil unattended, and keep a close eye on the temperature at 190C for the crispest results.
  • Drain all fried elements well on kitchen paper to keep everything light and crisp.
  • This recipe contains fish, nuts and shellfish traces, so check with guests about allergies before serving.

 

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