Differences between Lemon Fish in China and Thailand
Most Thai lemon fish dishes in China use perch, while the fish varieties used in Thailand are more diverse. Besides perch, they prefer to use smaller fish, such as Wu Guoyu, pomfret and Nile fish. In the application of sauces and spices, most lemon fish in China use fresh lemon juice to set off the sour taste of sauces, while tamarind is used in Thailand. The acid from tamarind is slightly choking, the game is obvious, and the acidity is more prominent.
In China, most Thai restaurants use perch to make lemon fish. This is because the meat of perch is tender and not so prickly, and the taste of the fish itself is relatively light and not so fishy. When the steamed perch is drenched with lemon sauce, it can quickly suck in the sauce, making the fish taste more fresh and sweet.
The key to improving taste: spice plants
The common spice plants in Thai cuisine are southern ginger, citronella, lemon leaves, coriander, fragrant willow, nine-story tower and so on. Citronella and lemon leaves are more than 90% spices used in soup, and nine-story pagoda and coriander are indispensable for cold dishes. Coriander is also often used in steamed seafood dishes, and Thai lemon fish will add many coriander stalks to increase the aroma level. The application of Nanjiang willow to the preparation of sauce has the function of finishing touch, especially the fragrant willow, which has a very fresh-keeping effect when used in seafood barbecue.
Delicious soul: sauce
The special lemon fish sauce is the delicious soul of Thai lemon fish. The main ingredients of the sauce include lemon juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, pepper, coriander root and so on. , mainly sour and spicy, supplemented by spicy. So the real lemon fish is a dish that is not too spicy.
The orthodox practice of lemon fish is to wash and steam the fish, then pour it with special sauce, and then soak the fish directly in the sauce to taste, without heating, so as not to affect the taste of the sauce. Because people in China are used to eating hot food, when lemon fish arrives in China, most stores will light alcohol and keep the food warm by continuous heating.
Authentic method of lemon fish in Thailand
Ingredients: bass 1 piece (about 400g), red pepper 1 ~ 2 pieces, appropriate amount of coriander, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, a little Jiang Mo, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and lemon 1 piece.
Seasoning: a little salt, a little rice wine, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
Cooking steps:
1. Wash the perch and cut it from the abdomen, but the back is still attached.
2. Put the perch back on the upper floor, sprinkle with salt and rice wine, and put it on the plate for about 10 minutes to remove the fishy smell.
3. Chop red pepper and coriander, add minced garlic, Jiang Mo, sugar, lemon juice and fish sauce, stir well, and then pour the sauce on the fish.
4. Put half a cup of water in the outer pot of the rice cooker to preheat until it smokes, then steam the fish in steam for about 10 minute, take it out, squeeze half a lemon juice, and put the remaining half lemon slices on the fish for decoration.
When cooking seafood in an electric cooker, it is suggested to preheat the electric cooker until it smokes, and then put the ingredients into cooking, so as to shorten the cooking time, which can prevent the seafood ingredients from slowly heating in the electric cooker for too long and losing the flavor of seafood.
The demonstration weight is 3 ~ 4 people. ※.