Seared white fish with a Khmer mango salad.

Here is a fish recipe similar to the special I ran tonight at work.

Ingredients.

4 6-8oz. portions of a delicate white fish (such as sablefish, sea bass, sole or fluke)

2 ripe mangoes

1 large shallot

4 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced

1/2tsp lemon zest and a small squeeze of juice

1 small chili (jalapeno or serrano will do)

~ 1tsp mint leaves, finely chopped

~ 1tsp cilantro, finely chopped

1/2tsp fish sauce

1/8 sugar (optional, may be unecessary depending on the ripeness of the mangoes)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Method.

Peel the mangoes and juliene them.

Carefully mince the shallot, being careful not to crush it. 

Slice the Garlic into medallions or matchsticks, again being careful not to agitate it.

Seed and mince the chili.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl (except the fish) and set aside. It's important to let the fish sauce work together with the rest of the flavors so the salad will develop.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and salt your fish.

Heat a pan large enough for all of your fish. If the pan has a rubber or plastic handle it will be a problem later. Add enough neutral oil to coat the bottom of the pan plus enough that it rolls a bit when you turn the pan. When the pan is quite hot, place the fish in on the side that didn't have skin on it. We'll refer to this as the "presentation" side. Once the fish are in the pan, immediately shake them from side to side to ensure that they aren't sticking.

The trick here is patience. Obviously you don't want to burn the fish, but crisping the outside of it will impart a good deal of flavor and texture down the line. Once you think the fish is ready to be turned, I can pretty much guarantee that you're wrong. If you're worried that you'll burn the side you're cooking, don't be afraid to turn the flame down a little, but let it cook until you have an evenly cooked brown sear.

At this point you can flip the fish over and put it (pan and all) in the oven, or you can just finish it off on the stovetop. I prefer the oven method, but you just need to cook the fish until it's done. You can poke it, slice into it, or use a thermometer to check. If you use the thermometer I would suggest a temp of about 120 degrees to serve it.

Garnish the fish with the mango salad. It's quite tasty.