Thai cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Nam Prik Pla Too

Bold dip of roasted shrimp paste, chili and lime, served with crispy fried mackerel and raw vegetables.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 mackerel fillets (about 150 g each)
• 2 tbsp shrimp paste (kapi)
• 8 garlic cloves
• 6 dried red chilies
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 300 g vegetables for dipping (cucumber, green beans, white cabbage)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Wrap the shrimp paste in foil and roast in a dry pan over medium heat for 4–5 min. until strongly fragrant; soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 10 min. and drain.
2. Fry the garlic and dried chilies in 1 tbsp oil for 2–3 min. until the garlic gets golden spots and the chilies darken.
3. Pound the garlic, chilies and dried shrimp in a mortar, then work in the roasted shrimp paste until a dark, coarse paste forms.
4. Mix with lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar into a spreadable dip – it should taste salty-spicy with pronounced acidity.
5. Pat the mackerel fillets dry, salt them and fry in the remaining oil over high heat for 3–4 min. per side until the skin is crisp and the flesh flakes easily.
6. Arrange the dip, mackerel and the vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces together with rice on a platter and serve immediately.