Spicy minced grilled fish salad recipe

Spicy minced grilled fish salad or lab-pla in Thai is a spicy-savory dish from Isan (northeastern Thailand). This is popularly served in Isan style restaurants.

In making spicy meat salads in Isan style, meats always are beef, chicken, duck and sometime fish. These may be either grilled in a large piece and then cut into thin slices or minced first and then, boiled in a small amount of water before flavoring with common seasonings like ground roasted rice, fish sauce, lime juice and ground roasted chili to add nutty, salty, sour and hot flavors respectively. The vegetable added usually are shallot, green onion, cilantro, parsley and mint leaves.

Since fish always have an unpleasant smells, the extra ingredients like galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are added to suppress this. Roasting these over low heat before using is also a good way to bring out their great flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 cup grilled fish, fishbone removed, finely chopped (Isan people like to use catfish)
• 1 tsp coarsely chopped galangal
• 1 tsp thinly sliced lemongrass
• 2 tsp citrus leaves (use kaffir lime leaves if available), slice into tiny slivers
• 2 tbsp ground roasted rice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tbsp ground roasted chili
• 2 tbsp thin sliced shallot
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• Mint leaves and chopped green onion, for garnishing
• Fresh vegetable like long beans, green oak lettuce, cucumber etc., for serving as sides

Direction

1. In a flat skillet, add galangal, lemongrass and citrus leaves and stir continuously and slowly over low heat until dried and fragrant. Transfer these contents into a mortar and pound with a pestle until ground.
2. Add grilled fish and the ground roasted mixture (from step No. 1) into a mixing bowl and stir to blend thoroughly.
3. Flavor to taste as needed with ground roasted rice, fish sauce, lime juice and ground roasted chili.
4. Add shallot, green onion and mint leaves and stir to blend.
5. To serve, spoon the salad onto a serving platter. Sprinkle over to garnish with green onion and mint leaves. Place fresh vegetables on the side.

In addition to the vegetables like shallot, green onion and mint leaves, adding more parsley, crosswise cut into 1-cm-wide pieces, is also great.