Pla neung manao (steamed fish in lime and chilli)
Steamed fish with lime and chilli
Pla neung manao (ปลานึ่งมะนาว): steamed sea bass drowned in a hot garlic, chilli and lime broth
Restaurants all over Bangkok bring this dish to the table in a fish-shaped steamer with a flame underneath, the fish swimming in a broth of garlic, chilli, lime and fish sauce that keeps bubbling as you eat. Sea bass (pla kapong) is the usual choice. It is clean, sour and very garlicky, ideal for a light dinner with rice and a plate of greens. A whole fish is traditional; two thick fillets work just as well and steam faster. Chef's tip: pour the sauce over at the end, not before steaming; lime cooked for 15 minutes loses its freshness and turns bitter.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 whole sea bassabout 700 g, gutted and scaled, or 2 thick fillets
- 2 lemongrassstalks, bruised
- 1 limethinly sliced
For the sauce
- 8 cloves garlic
- 6 bird's-eye chilliesa mix of green and red
- 3 coriander rootsscraped, or a handful of stems
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup lime juice
To finish
- 2 Chinese celerystalks, chopped
- 1 handful coriander leaves
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Score 1 whole sea bass two or three times on each side down to the bone. Lay 2 lemongrass on a heatproof plate that fits your steamer and set the fish on top.
5 minStep 2: Steam over boiling water, covered, for 12–15 minutes for a whole fish (7–8 for fillets), until the flesh at the thickest part is opaque and lifts easily from the bone.
15 minStep 3: While it steams, pound 8 cloves garlic, 6 bird's-eye chillies and 3 coriander roots to a coarse paste.
Step 4: Heat ½ cup chicken stock or hot water in a small pan until just boiling, stir in the paste, 3 tbsp fish sauce and 1 ½ tbsp sugar until dissolved, then take off the heat and add ¼ cup lime juice. It should be very sour, then salty, with a sharp kick.
2 minStep 5: Pour off any water on the fish plate, spoon the hot sauce over the fish and lay 1 lime on top. Scatter with 2 Chinese celery and 1 handful coriander leaves and serve at once, over a burner if you have one.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pla neung manao (steamed fish in lime and chilli) take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Spanish
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek