1/3 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled
1 cup Ginger - Lime Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound skinless salmon fillets, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
6 small whole cloves garlic

Take one bite of this dish and you'll be amazed at how the ginger and fish sauce can enliven the flavor of fried fish. At the market food stalls that serve com binh dan (inexpensive homestyle food), this classic dish is prepared with just about any small whole fish, including yellow-fleshed catfish, perch, mackerel and snapper.

What I love about this recipe is the cucumber garnish. It's a traditional Vietnamese touch, made by cutting the cucumber into long thing strands - about the thickness of angel hair pasta - and soaking them in the sauce. It's actually quite a clever concept because without the cucumber garnish, the sauce would just sit on the plate rather than on the fish.

1. Seed the cucumber and use a Japanese mandoline to cut it into long, thin strips about the thickness of angel hair pasta. Add the cucumber to the dipping sauce and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add the fillets and carefully sear them until golden brown and just done, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Halfway into the cooking, add the whole garlic cloves and cook until soft. (If the fillets are thick, cover and cook a few minutes more.) Remove the fish and garlic and place on paper towels to drain.

3. Arrange the fillets on a serving dish. Scatter the garlic cloves on top. Remove the cucumber strips from the sauce and place neatly on the fish. Pour half of the sauce on top and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Source: Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table © Mai Pham, 2001
Visit Mai Pham's website at: www.lemongrassrestaurant.com