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Steamed fish with chilli and lime sauce

Chef and Thai food expert David Thompson’s London eatery, Nahm, was the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. His new book, Thai Street Food, sees him outline easy-to-prepare recipes for the home cook.

WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE THE THAI STREET FOOD SCENE?

Fast, vibrant, noisy, smelly, smoky, wonderful. There’s nothing like the sound of the scraping of woks.

WHICH ARE THE BEST SPOTS IN BANGKOK TO VISIT FOR AUTHENTIC THAI STREET FOOD?

It changes all the time. Ask a local. Every Thai has one or two eating spots or stalls that they just love. Follow them there.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THAI DISH?

I love raat nar, rice noodles with thickened gravy. It’s Chinese in origin but the Thais have added chillies to “Thai-ify” it.

WHAT ARE THREE SECRETS TO PREPARING GREAT THAI FOOD AT HOME? Good ingredients, good ingredients, good ingredients!

SO WHAT ARE THOSE INGREDIENTS?

Fish sauce, palm sugar, good chillies and good luck.

WHAT’S BEST ABOUT YOUR STEAMED FISH RECIPE?

The steamed fish is so easy and simple to make, yet the result is so fresh and vibrant.

1 × 400g fish – such as sea bass, barramundi, John Dory, snapper or bream – gutted and scaled
1 banana leaf – optional
Chopped coriander, to serve

CHILLI AND LIME SAUCE

1–2 coriander roots, cleaned
Pinch of salt
2–3 garlic cloves, peeled
3–5 bird’s eye chillies (scuds) – or more, if you wish
1 tbsp white sugar
3–4 tbsp lime juice
1–2 tbsp fish sauce, to taste

On the streets, fish is usually steamed well in advance for quick service at the stall. At home, however, it should be cooked when required.

Scoring the fish allows for faster, more even cooking. Some cooks will fill the cavity with a few stalks of lemongrass, a pandanus leaf or a few coriander roots.

Thai diners like their fish completely cooked and will steam it over a furious heat. But as a concession to modern styles of cooking, I suggest that you steam it over a moderate heat to ensure a tender texture.
1 Rinse the fish well and pat dry with paper towel. Score the fish by making three or four diagonal slices on each side.
2 Next, make the sauce. Using a mortar and pestle. Pound the coriander roots to a fine paste with the salt.
3 Add the garlic and chillies and continue pounding to a coarse paste. Season with sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. The sauce should be hot, sour, salty and more than a little sweet – but this can be altered to taste. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and set aside.
4 Place the fish on a banana leaf or heatproof plate and then put it in a steamer. Steam over simmering water for about 15–20 minutes or until cooked. The scored flesh should be opaque right to the bone.
5 Spoon the chilli and lime sauce over the fish and serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.