Entree: Thailand – Northeastern Isan – ปลาเผา ➤ pla phao (Whole salt-crusted grilled fish stuffed with aromatic herbs)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 15 min

Cook 30 min

Total 45 min

Ingredients

1 whole scaled and gutted fish, 680 g gross (tilapia used as the practical catalog example); estimated cooked edible fish flesh: 300 g
660–880 g coarse sea salt (770 g midpoint estimate; most is discarded with the crust)
2 trimmed lemongrass stalks (about 40 g)
4 kaffir lime leaves (about 2 g)
3 garlic cloves (about 9 g)
5 g white pepper
30 ml vegetable oil (about 27 g), for brushing
1 large banana leaf (about 30 g; optional)
Lime wedges for serving (about 60 g edible portion)
Fresh cilantro for garnish (about 10 g)

Instructions

1. Prepare the fish by rinsing it and patting it dry. Season the cavity with the white pepper, then stuff it with the smashed lemongrass, garlic, and torn makrut lime leaves. If using the banana leaf, wrap the fish once and secure it with kitchen twine or toothpicks.
2. Spread some of the coarse salt on a baking sheet. Set the fish on the salt and pack the remaining salt around and over it to form a thick, even crust. If wrapped in banana leaf, press the salt crust around the wrapped fish.
3. Preheat a grill to medium-high, or prepare hot charcoal for steady heat. Brush exposed leaf or fish lightly with vegetable oil. Grill the salt-crusted fish for 12–18 minutes per side, adjusting for size, until the flesh flakes easily and a skewer inserted into it meets little resistance.
4. Transfer the fish to a board. Crack off and discard the salt crust, remove and discard the banana leaf if used, and remove the lemongrass and makrut lime leaves from the cavity. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with lime wedges.