Branzino with coconut broth and papaya salad
Crispy pan-fried fish served over lemongrass-ginger coconut broth, and a Thai-inspired papaya salad. Perfect for spring.
“On the corner of 6th and W 12th St, at the bar of a cafe, there are large windows spanning the front of the store. Visible through these windows, down the block, is the corner of 6th and W 11th St, where pear trees are in full bloom. The little white flowers almost glow in contrast with the brightness of the cloudless sky. The branches sway and dust the sidewalk with loose flower petals. Behind it, an American flag whips around rapidly. The glow of the flowers and how they dance in the wind bring attention to passersby who take photos with their cell phones as they walk. They pause, squint their eyes, and lean back ever so slightly to photograph the flowers, smiling at the photo they just took, before carrying on.”
I wrote this in my journal the other day, I’m not sure why, but I had to capture it beyond just a photo, it was so lovely I needed it in writing. It was one of those perfect spring moments where life felt sweet and ripe, like I could taste it. That taste was somewhere between honeysuckle and cilantro.
As I was taking in the blooming streets, I wanted to capture that feeling and those flavors. So as I made my way home, I thought about the ingredients in my fridge and made a pit stop at my local Thai grocery store.
I was inspired by Thai cooking, I always seem to crave Thai food and flavor profiles when the weather gets warmer. What I ended up putting together and began developing was lovely. I wanted to use coconut milk because its sweet richness pairs wonderfully with sweet, flaky white fish, which feels fresh like spring. Ginger and lemongrass wake everything up, and green tea (I know it sounds odd, but trust me) gives it an earthy depth. Of course, I had to include some hot chilies, because spring is bright, hot, and exciting. Lastly, the papaya salad was sweet, salty, sour, and everything wonderful about food; it was all exactly what I wanted for dinner on a perfect spring day.
Pan-fried sea bass with lemongrass coconut broth and papaya slaw
Serves 2-4 people, depending on portion size
Fish Ingredients
2 filets of white fish (I like sea bass, cod, or tilapia)
½ a stalk of lemongrass, using the tender end.
¼ cup corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Coconut broth ingredients:
1 can low-fat coconut milk (you can do normal, I just always use low-fat because it is cheaper lol)
1 inch of ginger, sliced into 3 pieces
2 Thai chilies/bird’s eye chilies
½ a stalk of lemongrass (use the tougher end, as the tender part is used for the fish)
1 green tea bag
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp white miso paste
Papaya ingredients:
1 green papaya
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tbsp palm sugar (brown sugar can substitute)
¼ cup lime juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp cilantro
3 tbsp basil
Garnish:
Cilantro
Sesame chili oil (normal chili oil works just fine)
Lemon juice
Instructions
Start by preparing the papaya salad, making sure you have a green, unripe papaya. Peel the papaya. Using the julienne attachment of either a mandoline, grater, or just a knife, finely julienne the papaya. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and palm sugar. Toss it in the papaya, and add in the chopped cilantro and basil.
**If you want this to be a more traditional Thai papaya salad, you can add cherry tomatoes, string beans, and chopped peanuts.
In a pot, combine the garlic, ginger, coconut milk, and lemongrass. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
While this simmers, you can cook rice
Add in the chilies whole, or cut in half if you want it spicier.
Use the back of a knife to lightly smash ¼ inch of lemongrass, making sure to use the middle section of the lemongrass, where it is most tender. Finely chop it up and mix with cornstarch, salt, paprika and pepper. Pour onto a plate and spread out evenly.
Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and lightly salt them.
Begin heating a large skillet over medium heat.
While the pan heats, pat both sides of the fish into the cornstarch mixture, and dust off the excess so they're lightly coated.
Add ¼ cup of high-smoke-point oil like avocado or canola into the skillet. Once the oil is shimmering, lay the fish fillets in the pan so the fish is going away from you, so that it doesn’t splatter on you. Using tongs, lightly press the fish into the pan. Turn up the heat to high.
While the fish cooks, add one green tea bag to the pot with the broth. Stir in the white miso, then salt and pepper to taste.
After 2 minutes, or once golden brown and crispy, flip the fish and press it into the pan. Cook until golden brown and the inside has just turned flaky. Around 6 minutes total.
Remove from the pan, sprinkle with flaky salt. Let rest for 1 minute, while you assemble your bowl.
Remove the tea bag from the broth.
Place rice in a bowl, forming a mound, and pour the broth around it, straining out the aromatics. Place fish on top of rice and drizzle chili oil and cilantro on top. I like to put a little bit of the papaya salad on top of the fish.
Hit it with a little lemon juice to finish and enjoy!
Below, as a treat because it has been a bit since I posted, is a spring playlist I made — great for listening to while cooking with the windows open :)
This looks fire