Miang Pla (Lettuce Wraps with Whole Fried Pompano)
This showstopping, shareable dish made with pompano—a mild, buttery jackfish—is all the more crave-inducing with the addition of an umami-rich caramel spiked with fish sauce. Cradled in fresh leafy greens, dressed with a citrusy, spicy sauce, and topped with crunchy peanuts and fried shallots, it hits all the flavor notes like great Thai food tends to do.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “This Might Be the Best New Thai Restaurant in the Country. And We’ve Got Their Recipes.”
How to Make It
Make the fish sauce caramel. In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1⁄4 cup water and bring to a low boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then allow to cook undisturbed over low to medium heat until a deep caramel color forms, about 20 minutes. You’ll want the sauce to coat the back of your spoon, but be slightly thinner than a traditional caramel. This is more of a sauce texture. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the fish sauce and remaining 1⁄4 cup of water. Return to medium heat, and stir until the caramel is dissolved. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl and let cool completely. Reserve remaining sauce in a Mason jar and refrigerate for up to a week.
Make the fish. Debone and slice the fish into 5 or 6 bite-size pieces per side. Separate the bones and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour and water until flour dissolves. This will be your fish batter. Fill a deep-fry pot with the oil, and bring to 350°F, keeping this heat consistent throughout the frying process. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then drop one piece at a time into the oil, using tongs to keep them separate (so they don’t become one big chunk). Fry for 3 minutes, or until golden brown, then remove. Dredge the fish skeleton in the batter and fry until crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place fried fish and bones on a paper-towel-lined plate or a draining rack, and set aside.
Dress the fish and plate. In a mixing bowl, toss fried pompano chunks, lemongrass, shallot, jalapeño, ginger, Thai chilies, lime, peanuts, and 6 tbsp. fish sauce caramel. Put fried bones on a large platter, brush with about 2 Tbsp. fish sauce caramel, and add the fried pompano chunks and herbs. Top with fried shallots and serve with fresh lettuce and betel leaves.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fish sauce caramel. In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1⁄4 cup water and bring to a low boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then allow to cook undisturbed over low to medium heat until a deep caramel color forms, about 20 minutes. You’ll want the sauce to coat the back of your spoon, but be slightly thinner than a traditional caramel. This is more of a sauce texture. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the fish sauce and remaining 1⁄4 cup of water. Return to medium heat, and stir until the caramel is dissolved. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl and let cool completely. Reserve remaining sauce in a Mason jar and refrigerate for up to a week.
Make the fish. Debone and slice the fish into 5 or 6 bite-size pieces per side. Separate the bones and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour and water until flour dissolves. This will be your fish batter. Fill a deep-fry pot with the oil, and bring to 350°F, keeping this heat consistent throughout the frying process. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then drop one piece at a time into the oil, using tongs to keep them separate (so they don’t become one big chunk). Fry for 3 minutes, or until golden brown, then remove. Dredge the fish skeleton in the batter and fry until crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place fried fish and bones on a paper-towel-lined plate or a draining rack, and set aside.
Dress the fish and plate. In a mixing bowl, toss fried pompano chunks, lemongrass, shallot, jalapeño, ginger, Thai chilies, lime, peanuts, and 6 tbsp. fish sauce caramel. Put fried bones on a large platter, brush with about 2 Tbsp. fish sauce caramel, and add the fried pompano chunks and herbs. Top with fried shallots and serve with fresh lettuce and betel leaves.