Pla Rad Prik
ปลาราดพริก·(plah rahd prik)
Weeknight Kab Khao: The Thai Family Table
If you ask a Thai expat what dish they miss most from home, it’s usually Pla Rad Prik. In Thailand, this means a massive, whole deep-fried fish dominating a restaurant table, but the soul of the dish—the intoxicating three-flavor sauce—translates flawlessly to weeknight fillets. We're skipping the modern bottled sweet chili sauce shortcuts and melting down raw palm sugar, tangy tamarind, and fish sauce exactly the way grandmothers do. Poured over shatteringly crisp, shallow-fried fish, it’s loud, vibrant, and tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Ensure your fish is ruthlessly dried with paper towels before starting.
A wet fillet will steam instead of frying, preventing the shatteringly crisp crust required to hold up to the heavy sauce.
Ingredients
- skin-on white fish fillets or salmon1 1/2 lb
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- cornstarch1/4 cup
- neutral oil1/2 cup
- garlic cloves7 med
- Thai bird's eye chilies5 med
- fresh cilantro stems2 tbsp
- shallot1 small
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- palm sugar3 tbsp
- tamarind concentrate3 tbsp
- fish sauce3 tbsp
- water2 tbsp
- fresh cilantro leaves1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Season the dried fish with salt and lightly dredge the skin and flesh in cornstarch.
Shake off the excess so there is only a microscopic, dusty coating, as moisture is the enemy of a crisp crust.
- 02
Heat a quarter-inch of the half-cup neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and lay the fish in skin-side down.
Grandma's rule of frying: do not touch it. Let it fry undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin crisps and naturally releases from the pan, then flip carefully and cook the other side.
- 03
Pound the garlic, chilies, and cilantro stems in a mortar and pestle into a coarse, fragrant paste.
If you don't have a mortar, mince them together on a cutting board until nearly a paste, though pounding is superior for crushing cell walls and releasing essential oils.
- 04
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and fry the aromatic paste with the shallot.
Cook for a minute or two until the raw garlic scent dissipates. If the chili fumes make you cough, you are doing it right.
- 05
Lower the heat and stir in the palm sugar, tamarind concentrate, fish sauce, and water.
Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the sugar melts and the sauce reduces to a dark, glossy glaze that coats the back of a spoon. Taste it carefully to ensure a perfect balance of sweet caramel, tart fruit, savory umami, and blooming heat.
- 06
Transfer the crispy fish to a platter and pour the hot, sticky sauce directly over the top.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve immediately with copious amounts of hot jasmine rice.
Notes
Sourcing authentic tamarind is non-negotiable.
Do not substitute vinegar or buy the sweet, sticky tamarind candies. You are looking for a jar labeled "Tamarind Paste" or "Tamarind Concentrate" in the Thai or Vietnamese aisle of your local Asian grocer.
You can always swap the fillets for a whole fish.
If it is a weekend and you want to flex, buy a 1 1/2 lb whole tilapia or red snapper. Have the fishmonger scale and gut it, score three deep diagonal lines down to the bone on each side, skip the cornstarch, and deep-fry in a wok with two inches of oil.
From Cook Thai in America.