Crispy Fish Salad

Fried fish can be a bit much by itself sometimes, but not if you mix it with red onions, mint leaves and roasted peanuts!
After a while, I get tire of cooking only the dishes my family knows and likes. I like trying new plates, but there is always a risk. Unless, I get: "I like it", then all the planning and risk seems to be worth it.



When I think of something I have to write it down, otherwise, there is so much going on, that if I don't, it will never get done. This reminds me of the drama Trinity and I used to go through, I would write the ingredients I needed to shop for, or to dos on a white erasable board. Very soon, she would climb up on my desk and erase everything I've written. I would cry and she would have a kick. I used joked with SO that Trinity did not want me to do anything but play with her.

The dressing
1 lemon grass stalk, only white part and roughly chopped
4 bird’s eye chili, stems removed
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 table spoon fish sauce
2 table spoon lime juice
2 teaspoon palm sugar
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Ground the lemon grass, chillies, and garlic with a pestle and mortar or food processor. Transfer to a bowl and add fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and turmeric. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

The Salad
10 oz. skinless firm white fish fillets
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 tomatoes or large cherry tomato, each cut into 4 or 6 wedges
2 Asian shallots thinly sliced
1 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves
18-24 mint leaves
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts roughly coped.

Rinse the fish fillets under the kitchen faucets and pat dry with a paper towel, and toss them in the sea salt. Bake the fish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove them and allow to cool. Chop the fish into bite size or like bread crumbs.
Start your wok with the oil on high heat. Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of fish into the wok, if it sizzles, you're ready to drop in the bite size fish. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring fish until golden brown. Remove on a slotted spoon or drain on paper towels.
In a salad dish, add the tomatoes, shallots, red onions, cilantro, mint leaves and peanuts with half of the dressing. Transfer the salad onto a serving plate, add the fish and pour the remaining dressing in just before serving.