Pla rad prik
ปลาราดพริก
A whole fish scored, dusted and fried until the skin and fins are crisp, then covered in a hot, sour, sweet sauce of chilli, garlic, tamarind and palm sugar.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ปลาราดพริก.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Hot
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pla rad prik means fish topped with chilli. A whole fish, usually barramundi or tilapia, is scored deeply on both sides, dried, dusted with rice flour and fried until the skin is crisp and the fins and tail can be eaten like crackers. The sauce is made separately: a pounded paste of red chilli, garlic, shallot and coriander root fried in oil, then sharpened with tamarind, sweetened with palm sugar and seasoned with fish sauce until thick and glossy. It goes over the fish at the table so the crust stays crisp underneath. Fried Thai basil leaves finish it. A wok holds a whole fish and the oil it needs better than any other pan at home.
What you'll need
15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Fish
- Sauce
- To finish
Ingredients
Fish
- Barramundi, whole, about 800 g, scaled and gutted; or sea bass, snapper or tilapia1
- Salt4.9 ml
- Rice flour, or cornflour59 ml
- Neutral oil, for frying1 l
Sauce
- Fresh chilli, mixed large red and bird's eye, roughly chopped6
- Garlic6 clove
- Coriander, roots or stalks1 handful
- Neutral oil44 ml
- Tamarind, paste44 ml
- Palm sugar44 ml
- Fish sauce30 ml
- Water60 ml
To finish
- Thai basil, leaves, very dry1 handful
- Lime leaves, very finely shredded (optional)3
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Pat the fish completely dry, inside and out. Make three or four deep diagonal cuts down to the bone on each side, rub with the salt and leave 15 minutes. Pat dry again and dust all over with rice flour, working it into the cuts.
20 min
Step 2
Pound the chillies, garlic, shallots and coriander roots to a coarse paste in a mortar, or pulse them in a small blender.
8 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a wok to 180°C. Slide the fish in, laying it away from you, and fry 6 to 8 minutes a side without moving it, ladling hot oil over the top, until deep gold and crisp right to the tail and the flesh in the deepest cut is opaque and lifts off the bone. Lift out onto a rack.
16 min180°C
Watch: Any water on the fish makes the oil spit hard. Dry it well and lower it in away from you.
Step 4
Drop the basil leaves into the hot oil for 10 seconds until glassy, and lift them out onto paper.
1 min
Watch: Basil leaves spit as they hit the oil. Stand back.
Step 5
Heat the 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the chilli paste for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add the tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce and water and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until thick and glossy. Taste: sweet, sour, salty and hot, none winning.
7 min
Step 6
Set the fish on a platter, pour the sauce over at the table, and scatter with the fried basil and lime leaf. Serve at once with jasmine rice.
2 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 8.1 g
- Carbs
- 46.4 g
- Fat
- 30.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.1 g
- Fibre
- 4.4 g
- Sugar
- 23.4 g
- Sodium
- 1307 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Fish
- Pescatarian
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Whole barramundi → Two 400 g sea bream or snapper, or thick skin-on fillets
Smaller fish fry in 4 to 5 minutes a side; fillets in about 3.
Tamarind → Lime juice
Add it off the heat. Sharper and thinner, but the balance holds.
Tips
- The sauce should coat a spoon thickly. A thin sauce soaks into the crust; reduce it more.
- The fins and tail are the crispest bits. Eat them.
History & culture
This is a dish for sharing, ordered at riverside seafood restaurants and family dinners and set in the middle of the table with rice, a soup and a curry or stir-fry. Everyone picks at the fish with a spoon and fork. Central Thai cooks make it most, and every kitchen has its own balance of sweet, sour and hot.
Frying whole fish and dressing it with a chilli sauce is old central Thai cooking, from the rivers and paddy canals where snakehead, catfish and later tilapia were plentiful. The chillies came from the Americas with Portuguese and Spanish traders in the 16th and 17th centuries. Barramundi, pla kapong, became the restaurant default once it was widely farmed.
Traditional — Restaurants fry the fish in a deep wok of oil, sometimes opening the belly so it stands upright on the plate. If a large fish will not fit your wok, two smaller fish or thick skin-on fillets work, fried for less time. Some cooks fry the sauce chillies whole first for a smokier sauce.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pla rad prik take?
55 min all in — 25 min prep, 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Hot.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Chef's knife, Cutting board, Mortar and pestle, Wok, Spider or strainer, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much fish sauce?
2 tbsp of Fish sauce.
What can I use instead?
Whole barramundi → Two 400 g sea bream or snapper, or thick skin-on fillets. Smaller fish fry in 4 to 5 minutes a side; fillets in about 3. Tamarind → Lime juice. Add it off the heat. Sharper and thinner, but the balance holds.
What should I watch for?
Any water on the fish makes the oil spit hard. Dry it well and lower it in away from you. Basil leaves spit as they hit the oil. Stand back.
Any tips from this recipe?
The sauce should coat a spoon thickly. A thin sauce soaks into the crust; reduce it more. The fins and tail are the crispest bits. Eat them.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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