Vietnamese
Far Flung
From
Far Flung
season
0
episode
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Crispy fish with long beans and green mango
With
Gary Mehigan
Skin-on white fish fried crisp, with snake beans, green mango and bean sprouts.
PREP
0
MINS
Cook
0
MINS
SERVES
4
About this recipe
White fish (blue eye or barramundi) skin-on, dredged in rice flour and fried hard in peanut oil until the bones go crisp and the flesh underneath stays moist. Served with snake beans, shredded green mango and bean sprouts dressed in fish sauce, soy and the perfume of holy basil, betel leaves and dried shrimp. Vietnamese cooking that lets texture argue first.
The rice flour coating is the trick. Where wheat flour would absorb oil and turn the crust soggy, rice flour fries to a glassy, shatter-crisp shell that protects the flesh underneath while the heat does its work. The skin itself crisps to potato-chip texture, the small bones go edible-brittle. The fish wants to be small enough to fry whole or in fillets thin enough to cook through in three minutes.
The garnish plate is half the dish. Snake beans (long beans, the metre-long Asian variety, blanched briefly and shocked in ice) for crunch; green mango shredded fine for tart bite; bean sprouts for water; holy basil, spearmint and betel leaves for the herb wall.
Dried shrimp soaked in water then chopped through the dressing brings the umami salt that pulls the herbs and beans together. Fish sauce, soy, black pepper. Serve at the table family-style; the fish on a platter, the herbs and beans around it, everyone building their own bites. Vietnamese 333 lager alongside.
Ingredients
- 4 long beans (snake beans)
- Handful bean shoots, washed and picked
- 1 green mango, peeled and shredded
- ½ bunch mint, leaves picked
- ½ bunch spearmint, leaves picked
- ½ holy basil
- ½ bunch betel leaves
- 30g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 5 mins, drained and dried
- 1 tblsp sesame seeds toasted
- 1 tbsp crispy fried garlic slivers
- 2 tbsp crisp fried shallots
- 30g roasted whole peanuts
- 2 tbsp roasted ground rice
- 1 tbsp finely shredded lemongrass, white part only
Method
1. 400g white fish, skin on (blue eye or barramundi)
2. 500ml peanut oil for frying
3. 2 tbsp fish sauce
4. 1 tbsp soy sauce
5. freshly ground black pepper
6. 100g rice flour
7. Place the sugar and lime juice in a bowl and stir until just dissolved. Add the chilli, ginger. lime leaves and fish sauce and stir to combine. Set aside until required.
8. Cut the snake beans into 2inch (4cm) lengths. Peel green mango and shred flesh into fine strips, set aside.
9. Pour the oil into a deep heavy based frying pan, approximately 2cm deep and set over a high heat. Heat to 180°C and turn the heat down to low. The oil should be just shimmering.
10. Meanwhile, slice the fish thinly through the skin approximately 4mm thick, sprinkle over the fish sauce and soy add a touch of ground black pepper and marinate for a few minutes, ensuring the pieces are nicely coated.
11. Place the rice flour in a bowl and dredge the fish through the flour. Make sure the fish pieces are well coated then tap of the excess and drop gently into the hot oil.
12. Fry for 2-3 minutes, moving occasionally to prevent the slices from sticking together and brown evenly. When slices are very crisp and golden brown, remove and drain well on a paper towel lined plate.
13. To finish, bruise the snake beans and half the shredded mango in a mortar and pestle with a little of the dressing. Place into a bowl, along with the remaining green mango, bean sprouts, fresh mint, spearmint, drained and dried shrimps, sesame seeds, toasted peanuts, ground toasted rice and lemongrass. Add the fish, fried shallots and garlic and lightly toss together.
14. Arrange the betel leaves on 4 serving dishes and pile the salad on top. Drizzle the dressing over each dish and serve.
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan spent eleven seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia before turning his attention to the road. He hosts Around the World on Two Plates and Good Food Everyday, cooking through markets and family kitchens from Spain to Sri Lanka. His own kitchen instinct sits in classical French technique with a forensic eye for produce.
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