Fried Fish with Sour Pepper & Coriander Sauce

We had rice with seafood tom yum & fried fish with sour pepper & coriander sauce for lunch last weekend. It was a simple yet very satisfying meal. My husband couldn't stop eating the fish especially because the fish was crispy, the way he likes his fish fried.

Fried Fish with Sour Pepper & Coriander Sauce
Source: Family Circle Thai Cooking.

Ingredients:
1 kg whole snapper or red emperor (or any firm, sweet fish), scaled & cleaned
1 cup oil, for frying
4 spring onions, chopped
5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2-4 tsps fresh green peppercorns, crushed - I didn't use.
2-4 tsps chopped red chillies
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind puree
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
Thai chilli sauce, for serving - I used the commercial sauce.

Method:

1. Cut a shallow, criss-cross pattern on both sides of the fish. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, trim the fins, if they are very long. Heat the oil in a large wok or heavey-based, deep fryig pan.
2. Place the whole fish in the oil & cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, moving fish around in the oil to ensure the whole fish is crisp & cooked (including the tail & head). Drain fish well on paper towels & place on a warmed serving plate. Keep warm.
3. Drain almost all the oil from the wok & heat the wok over medium heat. Add the spring onions, ginger, peppercorns & chillies, stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, tamarind & fish sauce to the wok. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle with coriander leaves & then serve, on a bed of lettuce &, if you like, with chilli sauce.

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest (Thailand) November 2013 hosted by Lena of frozen wings.

I'm also linking this post to Cook-your-books event no.6 organised by Kitchen Flavours.