Last year, Mark Wiens and I had a meal together in Bangkok, and this dish, called yum pladuk foo, was one of the many things we enjoyed. If you missed that video, here it is.
In this video, I declared that I can't think of another dish that I prefer to this dish, which is a bold statement. And after thinking about it some more, I still stand by that. It is one of my and my brother Eddie's all-time-favourite dishes. The fish is fluffed up and fried until golden and crispy. The savoury crunch is contrasted by the fresh tart green mango salad—it's truly a match made in heaven and there are no other dishes quite like it.
Traditionally this dish uses Thai charcoal-grilled catfish (pla duk yang), which is widely available on the streets of Thailand. But considering what we're doing to it, it really doesn't matter much which kind of fish you use, and indeed Thai people routinely use various other types of fish when the catfish isn't available. In this video I go with tilapia which is a versatile, inexpensive white fish I usually have in my freezer. This method also works with shrimp, FYI!
SAFETY NOTE: After watching the frying of the fish, you may feel intimidated to try it, and I felt the same way the first time I made it! Let me assure you though that AS LONG AS you take the precautions I mention, you will be fine.
So: LEAVE PLENTY OF ROOM for the oil to bubble up so it won't overflow and catch fire (that would be bad!!). My rule of thumb is: don't fill the oil any more than ⅓ of the depth of the pot/wok, and the oil only needs to be about 1-inch deep so you don't need a lot!
For maximum fluffiness, I mentioned that the oil should be about 400F (like my second round of frying in the video) but if you feel a little scared by the aggressive oil bubbling, you can drop the fish at 375F and it won't be as aggressive (like my first round in the video), and either of them will be delicious.
While we're on this subject, not to make it scarier than it is, but it's ALWAYS a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen!
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
This one one recipe that I REALLY don't recommend you making without seeing the video first. Watch the video to see what the fish should look like when it's ready to fry AND how it should behave when dropped in the oil. Also note how much the oil puffs up when the fish is added so PLEASE leave plenty of room to prevent oil overflow!!
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Crispy Fluffy Fish w/ Green Mango Salad (yum pladuk foo)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
One of my all time favourite dishes that is truly unique. Crispy fluffy fried fish served with a green mango salad. It has all the flavours and textures that are iconic to Thai cuisine. A must try at least once in your life!
Ingredients
Mango Salad
- Thai chilies, to taste
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped palm sugar
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried shrimp, chopped, or sub bonito flakes
- 1 sour green mango, julienned (see note)
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Fish
- 250 g (9 oz) white fish meat of any kind (something inexpensive such as tilapia or cod is perfect)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp roasted peanuts
- Oil for frying
Note: When choosing mango, "sour" is more important than "green". So as long as the mango is very sour, it might be softer or yellower (like mine in the video) you'll be fine.
Instructions
Cut the fish into chunks, season with soy sauce, then steam for 5 minutes until the meat is fully cooked. If you don't want to steam the fish, you can cook the fish however you like, as long as you don't create a browned crispy crust on the fish (poach, bake, even microwave! we just want cooked fish). When done, let the fish cool off so you can handle it more easily.
While the fish is cooking and cooling, make the mango salad: In a mortar, pound Thai chilies until there are no more big chunks (chili skin is fine), then add the palm sugar and mash until it's a muddy paste. Add fish sauce and lime juice and swirl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in the dried shrimp, shallots, and mango. Let sit while you fry the fish.
Once the fish is cool enough to handle, transfer it into a muslin-lined bowl. Wrap the cloth around the fish, twist it to secure the fish in the cloth, and squeeze the fish as hard as you can to get rid of as much liquid as possible (this is why you want to let the fish cool, if it's too warm, you won't want to squeeze hard!). It is very important that the fish is DRY.
Transfer the fish to a mortar and pestle, then pound it until it's fluffy and there are no more chunks.
To fry the fish: Heat about 1 - 1.5 inch of oil in a wok or a deep pot over high heat to about 400°F. Do not fill the wok or pot anymore than ⅓ full to be sure we have leave plenty of room for the oil to puff up without overflowing! Tip: It will be easier for you to fold the fish if you use a wider pot or wok for this, so you can get to it more easily and you can fry more fish at a time. For the amount provided in this recipe, you can make 2 batches of fried fish in a pot that is about 9 inches in diameter.
Once the oil reaches temperature, sprinkle about half the fish into the oil, and the oil will bubble aggressively. Use a skimmer to push the edges in to clean up the edges of the fish, then let the fish fry until golden. I like to occasionally push the fish down so the top is submerged, which will help the fish brown more evenly.
Once the fish is golden brown, you can fold the fish over into a half circle like I did, but this is not necessary. Once the bubbling of the fish starts to slow down, and the fish is golden all over, lift it from the oil with a slotted skimmer and shake the fish several times to remove the oil that is lodged inside the fish. Place on paper towel to drain.
Wait for the oil to come back to temperature before frying the remaining fish.
Place the fish on a serving plate and sprinkle with roasted peanuts. Stir chopped cilantro into the mango salad, then serve the mango salad beside the fish. Serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Paul Watson says
Where in Bangkok can I have Yam Pla Duk Foo ? In the video, you were at a place having it, where was that?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I don't remember the video you're referring to...but it's quite a common dish you can find at many places that serve a relatively large menu.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Oh I remember now, Gai Yang Praram 9!
Emily Martin says
I just made this this evening from your recipe, your video was SO helpful and made me get over the fear. I've been to Bangkok a couple of times, but my husband lived in Thailand for 15 years and LOVES this dish so much, it was one of the first things he had me try the first time we went together. I am so lucky to have found a Thai grocer close to me, so today I bought 2 Thai catfish and a few green mangos (among MANY other things) to make this for supper tonight. My husband was so so happy, he said it was perfect, exactly like home (he forgets he's a white guy from Buckinghamshire) and gave me the biggest hug. I also served some isaan fermented sausages, because he's a hungry guy.
I love your website and have tried so many of your recipes, always with fantastic results. I might just have to start with your first one and work my way through....
Also, thank you for helping me nail sticky rice for the first time!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I'm so glad to hear it was successful!! Well done for braving this recipe! And thank you for your kind words!!
Andrew says
I know you can use different oils for frying, but is there one type in particular that you recommend?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I use canola oil 🙂
Andrew says
Thanks! 🙂
PaulS says
I mistakenly started cutting up an under-ripe green mango and remembered that your green mango salad dressing looked so good and easy to make on your YouTube video. Picked up some ingredients including palm sugar (following your tips) and we just tasted it and IT IS AMAZING! Thank you for sharing it. We are huge fans of your channel! We have moved from Vancouver and live in the US now and it was so much fun watching your video going through T&T.
Tristan says
Can i roast or steam the fish 24 hours ahead of the cooking time?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Sure can. Keep the fish refrigerated until you need to fry it.
Matan says
The fish bits didn't stick together after frying and were just a big pile... what do you think could be the cause for this?
Sylvia says
I experienced a similar issue. When frying the 2nd round, I turned off the heat and the fish did not stick. I ended up with floating bits. So the oil has to be really hot to form the golden disk as shown in the video. If the oil is not hot, the disk does not form.