Pla Nueng Manao

Pla Nueng Manao — steamed whole fish with a blistering lime, garlic, and chilli sauce — is one of Thailand's great seafood dishes, showcasing the Thai philosophy of balancing sour, salty, spicy, and sweet in a single bowl. The whole fish is placed over a bed of lemongrass before steaming, then drenched in the raw sauce just before serving.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 whole sea bass or tilapia, about 800g (1¾ lb), cleaned and scored
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and halved
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 1 thumb ginger, sliced

Sauce

• 6 tbsp (90ml) fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 4 tbsp (60ml) fish sauce
• 1 tbsp (12g) palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4–8 fresh bird's eye chillies, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp (45ml) chicken or vegetable stock
• Small handful fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1. Place lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and ginger in the base of a steamer or a deep roasting pan with a rack.
2. Lay the scored fish on top. Steam over vigorously boiling water for 12–15 minutes per 500g of fish, until the flesh flakes easily at the thickest part near the spine.
3. While the fish steams, gently warm the stock in a small saucepan. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, chillies, and warm stock in a bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be boldly sour, salty, and fiery.
4. Transfer the fish to a wide serving plate. Pour the sauce over and around the fish.
5. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Cook's Notes: Do not let the fish go past just-cooked — it should remain succulent. The sauce is meant to be raw and sharp; adjust the number of chillies to your heat preference. A whole fish serves better than fillets here, as the bones add sweetness to the steaming broth.