Fish & Seafood Recipes

Fish is also an important part of the diet . Every country, with the exception of Laos, has miles of coastline, as well as rivers, lakes and ponds, all of which yield plentiful supplies of fish. The lower reaches of the Yangtze River are traditionally know as the "Land of Fish and Rice", a term that is used to indicate the well-being of the local inhabitants. The first king of Siam expressed similar sentiments when, in 1292, he wrote of the value of having "fish in the water and rice in the field".

The Japanese cooks' skill in preparing and serving fish is legendary. This is partly due to the fact that the country has abundant fish stocks and only limited land for grazing, but is also because for many years, meat was off the menu, due to a government decree that prohibited its consumption by any but the sick, on the grounds that it increased aggression. As a result, Japanese cooks became extremely adept at preparing fish is sliced thinly and served raw, or marinated, but this is by no means the only way of preparing it.

In Thailand, too, fish is of enormous importance. As elsewhere in Asia, it is always served as fresh as possible. In restaurants, it is usual for dinners to choose their own fish from tanks, a serious business that demands considerable deliberation , and nobody objects to waiting while the grouper or snapper is dispatched , prepared and cooked in the manner the diner has selected. Fish bought at market is often live and is carried home in a bucket of water for preparation by the cook.

The Asian preoccupation with the freshest possible food, be it animal or vegetable, can be a little disconcerting for the Western visitor. Before enjoying the famous Hong Kong dish Drunken Prawns, for instance, the diner must first watch as the live prawns are marinated in Shao Xing rice wine, then cooked in fragrant stock.

At the other end of the spectrum, salted and cured fish is a valuable source of food throughout the area, but particularly in South-east Asia. All sorts of fish and seafood are prepared in this way, either in brine or by being dried in the sun. Dried fish and shellfish also furnish the raw material for fish sauce and shrimp paste, essential ingredients that go under various names, and contribute a subtle but unique signature to so many dishes.

  

Collections of Fish & Seafood Recipes:

1. Butter Prawns

2. Crab in Black Bean Sauce

3. Crabmeat Omelet

4. Creole Prawn

5. Curried Prawns

6. Deep-Fried Cuttlefish Rings

7. Deep-Fried Crispy Fish with Soy Sauce

8. Fish, Asparagus and Mushroom Parcels

9. Fish Head Curry

10. Fried Cuttlefish Kong Pow Style

11. Fried Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce

12. Home Style Stir-Fried Fish Head

13. Prawns in Satay Sauce

14. Sizzling Seafood on Crisp Rice Noodles

15. Steamed Red Mullet with rice noodles

16. Steamed Fish with Ginger

17. Steamed Fish in Ginger Sauce

18. Steamed Fish Teochew Style

19. Steamed Whole Fish

20. Stir-Fried Prawns with Leeks

21. Stuffed Scallops with Snow Peas

22. Sweet and Sour Haddock