Pla Tod Rad Prik — Fried Whole Fish with Three-Flavour Sauce / ปลาทอดราดพริก

Central Thai — the three-flavour sauce (sam rot: sweet-sour-hot) is a Central Thai classical sauce also used with prawns and other deep-fried proteins

Pla tod (deep-fried whole fish) with three-flavour sauce is a showcase Thai dish — the fish is deep-fried whole at high temperature until the flesh is cooked through and the skin is completely crispy, then the hot fish is topped with a poured sauce of sweet, sour, and hot elements: tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce, red chilli, garlic, and shallots. The three flavour elements (sweet-sour-hot) must be in balance; the sauce is reduced to a thick, glossy consistency so it stays on the fish rather than running off. The crispy skin of the fried fish must withstand the sauce without immediately going soggy — this requires serving immediately and pouring the sauce over at the last possible moment.

The interplay of crispy, caramelised fish skin and the sweet-sour-hot sauce is textural and flavour theatre — the sauce softens the skin just enough to create a transition zone between crunchy and sauced that is the eating pleasure of the dish.