I was inspired to attempt this dish after sampling Fresh Crispy Snapper + Mango Salad at Lao-Thai eatery Holy Basil in Canley Heights recently. The footnote in the menu said that when out of season, they substitute green mango with apple, which I thought was a brilliant idea since not many greengrocers outside of postcode 2166 (Cabramatta, Canley Vale and Canley Heights) sell Thai green mango even when it is in season.
I also used barramundi fillets (frozen ones from Aldi) instead of a whole snapper, because it’s a lower bar to set for the average Aussie cook (not many home kitchens have the setup to deep-fry a whole fish).
By the way, in hindsight I think it would have worked better had I used a 1:1 ratio of green mango and green apple – just to mix up the texture a bit.
Thai Crispy Fish and Apple Salad
INGREDIENTS:
3 pieces frozen fish fillets, skin on (about 2-3 inch lengths each)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 Tbsps tapioca starch
1 egg white
Oil for deep-frying
3 cups green apple, coarsely grated with mandolin or cut into thin strips with knife
2 Tbsps grated carrot
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic
4 thin slices Spanish onion
2 bird’s eye chillies
1 snake bean, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 Tbsp roasted peanuts, skin off
2 Tbsps dried shrimp, rinsed and toasted
3 Tbsps honey or dissolved Thai palm sugar
3 Tbsps lemon juice
2 Tbsps fish sauce
Coriander and Mint leaves for garnishing
METHOD:
- Heat oil in wok to 180C.
- Sprinkle salt and white pepper on fish pieces.
- Drench with egg white, coat with tapioca starch, and deep-fry until crispy.
- Remove and set aside.
- If using a mortar and pestle, lightly pound garlic, chillies, dried shrimp and peanuts; add sauce ingredients and mix well. Alternatively blend sauce ingredients in food processor, then add the garlic, chillies, dried shrimp and peanuts and chop coarsely.
- Transfer into a mixing bowl and add grated apple, carrot, snake beans and tomatoes. Mix well, then serve topped with crispy fish fillets, coriander and mint.
