Cod with Tom Kha Sauce

Instructions

• 1
  Peel the shallot and cut it into thin half-rings. Place it in a saucepan with heated oil and sauté until browned. Stir occasionally during sautéing to prevent burning.
• 2
  Chop the galangal, chili pepper, and lemongrass into smaller pieces and add them, along with the tomato paste, to the sautéed shallot. Sauté everything for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the broth, coconut milk, and add the lime leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum. The liquid should only gently simmer. Cook until the entire content reduces by about half. The sauce should have a smooth, creamy consistency.
• 3
  After cooking, strain the contents of the saucepan and season with fish sauce. You will no longer need all the vegetables, so you can discard them.
• 4
  Portion the fish fillet and season well with salt on all sides.
• 5
  Heat oil in a pan and place the cod portions skin-side down. Hold the fillets down with your fingers for the first few seconds to prevent them from curling in the pan. Cook until the skin begins to turn golden and is crispy to the touch.
• 6
  Then flip the fillets and add butter to the pan. Sauté the fish for about 1 more minute (depending on the thickness of your fillets). Baste the fish with the butter from the pan during cooking. After cooking, remove the fillets from the pan.
• 7
  Place the cod fillet in the center of the plate. Mix the sauce with coriander or parsley oil. Add lime caviar to it and pour the sauce onto the plate next to the fish. You can also decorate the plate with a rice chip, which you prepare by frying rice paper. Herb oil is very simple to prepare: just put about 30 g of any herb, 100 ml of vegetable oil, a pinch of salt into a blender and blend for about 5 minutes. Then strain the oil, and it's ready.