5/17 - Sambal Inspired Roasted Flounder

"sambal" ingredients:

• fish paste - 2 slices of 1x1x1/4 or about 1.5 tbsp
• garlic - 4 cloves minced
• onion - 1/2 minced
• ginger - 1 inch knob minced
• dried chili pepper - 1 ea (seeded)
• ketchup - 3 tbsp

fish - 2 flounders with head cut and gutted

Steps:

1. bash up garlic, onion, ginger, and chili pepper in a mortar and pestle
   
2. saute fish paste with 2 tbsp oil in medium heat pan
3. add garlic, onion, ginger, and chili pepper mixture
   
4. add ketchup and mix, then turn off heat...total time is about 4-5 minutes
5. let mixture cool
6. preheat oven to 425
   
7. salt fish lightly
   
8. slather on top of flounders and cut slits in fish to allow more absorption of flavor
9. place fish into oven and set timer for 20min
10. check doneness of fish and take out...should bea bout 20min and "sambal" should be darkened...(if too dark, turn down to 400)
11. serve asap!

** didn't write down recipe immediately so might have forgot a few ingredients (celery, sugar, and / or fish sauce might have been used)

Result:

• wow...the flavor is just amazing...spicy, sweet, and super complex
• crispy sambal but fish not crispy enough...
• very moist fish and salty enough
• sauteing fish paste and adding ketchup to it was amazing! never tried it before
  

Next Time:

• bake fish at 450 degrees 5 minutes, then place sambal on and roast at 400 til done...about 20 minutes total (to allow fish to get crisper and dryer)