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Thai Fried Red Snapper

A filet of red snapper (or another firm, white fish like grouper or rockfish) is cut into pieces before it’s battered and deep fried until crisp
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Keyword cilantro, fish, fish sauce, red snapper, seafood
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 601kcal

Ingredients

Spicy lime sauce:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 bird's eye chilies, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar, or brown sugar

For the snapper:

  • 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1½ pounds red snapper fillet, cut into 2” pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Vegetable oil, as needed, for frying

For serving:

  • ¼ packed cup basil leaves
  • ⅓ packed cup mint leaves
  • 1 packed cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup halved cashews
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spicy lime sauce:

  • In a small bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, fish sauce, lime juice, birds eye chiles and palm sugar until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

For the snapper:

  • Add the panko breadcrumbs to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until ground fine then add to a shallow bowl.
  • Add the flour to another shallow bowl and season it with salt and pepper, whisking to combine. Add the eggs to one more shallow bowl and beat the eggs.
  • Fill a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven with enough oil to reach 1-inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 375ºF (190ºC). Working in batches, toss pieces of snapper in the flour then the egg wash.
  • Toss in the breadcrumbs until coated and fry until crispy and golden brown on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and remove the fried fish to the cooling rack to drain.

For serving:

  • In a medium mixing bowl toss together the basil, mint, cilantro, lemongrass, green onions, shallots and cashews together. Pour the spicy lime sauce over the herb salad tossing to combine.
  • Arrange the fried fish in a serving bowl and top with the herb salad, pouring any remaining dressing over the top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1017mg | Potassium: 978mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 4mg