Vietnamese Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce

Yield: 6 Servings

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (nuoc cham):
3 TBS Lime juice
2 TBS Vietnamese fish sauce
Garlic clove, mashed
1/2 to 1 Serrano chile,seeded and finely chopped
1 TBS Sugar
3 TBS Water

Fried Striped Bass:
6 cups Corn or peanut oil
3 Wholes striped bass, scaled and gutted
with head and tail
1 TBS Salt
3/4 cup Flour

Tomato Sauce:
3 oz Corn or peanut oil
3 TBS Garlic, thinly sliced
3 oz Shallots, thinly sliced
4.5 cups Tomatoes, seeded, diced and drained
3 oz Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
3 TBS Sugar
1 tsp Fresh ground black pepper

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce:
1. Stir lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar and water until sugar dissolves.

Fried Striped Bass:
1. Prepare one fish for two servings. Preheat wok. Add oil, heat to 400 degrees. Thoroughly pat dry fish, inside and out. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge with 2 tablespoons flour. Gently lower fish, head first, into hot oil, basting frequently. Deep fry 5 mintues until brown and crisp. Remove fish to a platter; keep warm. Repeat and fry remaining fish, individually.

Tomato Sauce:
1. For 1 fish or 2 servings, in a wok over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons corn oil, 1 tablespoon sliced garlic, and 2 tablespoons sliced shallots; stir-fry until lightly browned. Add 1-1/2 cup tomatoes, stir for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over the fish. Garnish with fresh herbs: cilantro, mint, Thai basil. Serve with rice. Repeat with remaining sauce ingredients.

To Serve:
Serve with steamed rice or rice noodles, and Vietnamese dipping sauce.