Thai Style Baked Seabass With Bok Choi And Rice Noodle Salad Food

THAI SEA BASS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, warm 3 tbsp oil over medium heat. Season the fillet front to back with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, cook the fish skin-side down without moving for 4 minutes to get a nice crisp skin. Lower the heat a bit if you see smoke. Flip and cook the other side for 2-4 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and rest on a plate (skin-side up).
• Return the skillet to the heat, saute the shallot and ginger with a pinch of salt, stirring constantly for 10 seconds. Add the bok choy, carrots, and kaffir lime leaves and sauté over medium low heat for 1 minute.
• Add coconut milk, raise heat a bit to medium to simmer for 5 minutes. Portion the broth and vegetables into bowls and top with the fish (skin-side up). Season with red pepper flakes or fresh chili pepper if you want a little spiciness to cut through the richness of the broth.

STEAMED SEA BASS WITH A RICE NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• For the sea bass, heat a pan of water and place a steamer on top. Take a piece of foil. Scrunch up the edges to make a circle with a wall round the edge. Make it the right size to fit into the steamer.
• Put a few leaves of bok choi onto the foil and place the fillets on top. Add more bok choi, ginger and lemongrass and pour over the sesame oil and soy sauce. Sit the foil in the steamer, put the lid on and steam for about four minutes until the fish is cooked (depending on the size of the fillets).
• For the rice noodle salad, place the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for two minutes. Alternatively cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.
• Drain and place back in the bowl along with the spring onions.
• To make a dressing, place the garlic, ginger, chilli, palm sugar, mint, coriander in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. Add the vinegar, lime juice and oil and pound some more.
• Just before serving dress the noodle salad and mix.
• To serve, place some of the noodles on each serving plate. Lift the fillets from the steamer and place them on top of the noodles. Pour the sauce from the foil into the pestle and mortar and mix it, then pour some over the fish.

THAI RICE NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Place the noodles and beansprouts in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 4 mins, or until the noodles are tender. Drain, then cool under cold running water and drain again. Return to the bowl.
• Stir together the lime zest and juice, fish or soy sauce and sugar. Stir into the noodles with the red onion and lettuce.
• To make with mince, heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and stir-fry 500g minced pork, a small knob of grated ginger and pinch cayenne pepper or chilli powder for 10 mins, until the mince is browned and cooked through. Mix into the noodles, divide between four bowls and serve warm.
• To make with steak, make the rice noodle salad. Heat 1 tsp sunflower oil in a frying pan. Tip 2 tbsp sesame seeds onto a plate. Rub 1 tsp oil into 4 x 175g sirloin steaks and press into sesame seeds. Fry for 5 mins for medium rare, turning halfway. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then thinly slice. Toss 1 deseeded and shredded red chilli, and a handful mint leaves into noodles. Top with steak to serve.

ONE POT THAI-STYLE RICE NOODLES

Steps:

• Stir cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour chicken broth into a large pot and stir cornstarch mixture, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, chile-garlic sauce, vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, and coriander into broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Place rice noodles in the boiling sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until noodles are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir zucchini, red bell pepper, and chicken into sauce. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer until vegetables are just become tender, about 5 more minutes.
• Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes to thicken. Serve garnished with crushed peanuts and cilantro.

SEA BASS THAI STYLE

Steps:

• Apart from the sea bass, mix all the other ingredients together.
• Arrange the sea bass fillets on a sheet of tin foil so that the shiny side is on the outside.
• Score the fillets, and pull up the corners of the foil. Spoon over the Thai dressing and crimp the corners together to create a sealed bag.
• Dip the base of the bag in some oil and place on a chargrill or hot dry pan and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the pan, tear open bag and serve.

BOK CHOY WITH THAI-STYLE DRESSING

Steps:

• Place the bok choy in a steamer set over a pan of boiling water and sprinkle over the salt.
• Cover and cook for 3-5 mins until tender, then tip into a warmed serving dish.
• Meanwhile heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the oil, ginger, chili and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute.
• Add the soy sauce and fish sauce, heat through and drizzle over the bok choy to serve.