Thai-Inspired Fried Fish With Green Papaya Salad

Directions

1. Make the dressing for the papaya salad: Using a mortar and pestle, grind garlic and chiles until a chunky paste forms. Add sugar and shrimp and continue to grind until a wet, smooth paste forms. Scrape into a large bowl.
2. Working in batches, add beans to the mortar and gently pound to bruise and lightly crush. Transfer beans to the large bowl with the dressing in it. To the now-empty mortar, add peanuts and lightly crush. Transfer to the same large bowl with the beans. Pour lime juice, fish sauce, and lime zest into the mortar and stir to combine, scraping up any bits of at the bottom of the mortar. Transfer to the same large bowl and stir until the sugar is totally dissolved.
3. Make the dressing for the papaya salad: Using a mortar and pestle, grind garlic and chiles until a chunky paste forms. Add sugar and shrimp and continue to grind until a wet, smooth paste forms. Scrape into a large bowl.
4. Working in batches, add beans to the mortar and gently pound to bruise and lightly crush. Transfer beans to the large bowl with the dressing in it. To the now-empty mortar, add peanuts and lightly crush. Transfer to the same large bowl with the beans. Pour lime juice, fish sauce, and lime zest into the mortar and stir to combine, scraping up any bits of at the bottom of the mortar. Transfer to the same large bowl and stir until the sugar is totally dissolved.
5. Add papaya, tomatoes, cilantro, and scallion to the bowl with the dressing and toss until completely coated. Serve topped with additional peanuts.
6. Next, make the marinade and prep the fish. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and chile de árbol. Place fish on a rimmed baking sheet and thoroughly pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. With a sharp knife, make deep diagonal cuts,along both sides of the body of the fish, 2 inches apart, cutting all the way down to the bone. Brush entire surface of fish with lime mixture, getting garlic and lime into all of the cuts and inside the cavity of the fish Season fish generously inside and out with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let fish sit 15 minutes to absorb the marinade.
7. Holding a small medium-mesh sieve over fish, add half the flour into sieve and evenly dust both sides of fish with a thin coat of flour. Add the remaining ¼ cup of the flour to the sieve as needed to fully coat the fish. Repeat with additional flour and second fish if using.
8. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, heat oil and any aromatic scraps until garlic and ginger are golden brown and the oil is approximately 325°F. The oil has been flavored and it’s time to fry the fish.
9. Grip the fish firmly by the tail and carefully lower, head first, into skillet, making sure to lay it down, tail-side, away from you. (If the tail sticks out of the pan a bit, it’s not a big deal.) Fry until flesh on bottom side is cooked through and skin is deeply browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. While the fish is frying, use a metal spoon to baste the top of fish with hot oil periodically. Use tongs and a fish spatula to carefully turn fish over; make sure to turn the fish away from you in case any oil splatters. Fry until flesh on second side is cooked through and skin is deeply browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and season both sides with more salt.
10. Plate the fish on a large platter and top with mint, cilantro, scallion, and sliced chiles; serve with papaya salad, lime wedges, and steamed rice.