Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs vegetable or peanut oil
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 1-inch/2.5-cm piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2-3 tbs Thai red curry paste
• 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
• 2/3 cup fish stock
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 lemongrass stalk, broken in half
• 12 oz/350g whitefish fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
• 8 oz/225g squid rings and tentacles
• 8 oz/225g large cooked and peeled shrimp
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbs Thai soy sauce
• 4 tbs snipped fresh Chinese chives
• Cooked jasmine rice with cilantro, for serving

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbs Thai soy sauce
• 1 fresh red chile, seeded and chopped
• 12 oz/350g monkfish fillet, cut into cubes
• 12 oz/350g salmon fillet, skinned and cut into cubes
• 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tbs Thai red curry paste
• 1 lemongrass stalk (white part only), finely chopped
• Cooked jasmine rice with chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tbs Thai green curry paste
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 4 fl oz/120 ml/1/2 cup coconut cream
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs sugar
• 8 oz/225g firm whitefish, cut into pieces
• 4 fl oz/120 ml/1/2 cup fish stock
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• 15 fresh Thai basil leaves
• Fresh dill sprigs, to garnish

2 pounds fish bones,using head and tail parts
10 cups water
15 spring onions, pounded
15 shallots,divide into 5 and 10 pieces
15 cilantro roots, divide into 5 and 10 pieces
1 teaspoon roasted shrimp paste
3 tablespoons palm sugar
¼ cup tamarind water
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon ginger, julienne
1 tablespoon spring onions,sliced,white part only
3 ounces black cod fillet,sliced into 6 small pieces

Methods:

Simmer fish bones on low heat with pounded spring onion, 5 shallots and 5 cilantro roots in water for 1 hour. Do not boil or the stock will become cloudy. Occasionally skim off scum. Discard the fish bones. Blend roasted shrimp paste, remaining shallots, remaining cilantro roots and 1 cup of the stock and stir. Season the broth with palm sugar, tamarind water, lime juice and salt. Leave to simmer until the soup turns light brown. Strain through a cheese cloth or very fine sieve. Leave to settle and use only the clear portion . Discard the sediment. Extra broth can be frozen for later use.

To serve, boil each serving of the soup in a pot. Add the ginger, spring onions and cod. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as soon as the cod is just cooked.

4 ounces dried bean thread noodles (cellophane noodles)
1 Sm dungeness crab (preferably live)
½ pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ pound large cleaned squid cut crosswise into 1 inch rings
1 pound fresh fish fillets cut into 1 inch pieces
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander root
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce,or Dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Light soy sauce, or Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 quarter-sized pieces of ginger, crushed
4 red chilies, chopped into ½ inch pieces
4 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 ½ cup water, or more if needed
½ cup Thai sweet basil leaves
fresh cilantro sprigs
1 sandy clay pot casserole(2 quart size), or Dutch oven

Methods:

Golden Mountain Sauce is prepared with Thai style-soy sauce, which may be found in Southeast Asian markets.

In a bowl, cover mung bean noodles with warm water; soak until soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Clean and prepare the live crab according to the following instructions (if using cooked crab, follow the instructions after the steaming step). Shell and devein the shrimp; pat dry. Clean squid according to the instructions below. Cut the body crosswise into 1-inch rings; set aside the rings and cleaned tentacles. In a mortar or spice mill, pound or grind the peppercorns, coriander root and garlic into a paste. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, Golden Mountain Sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. Add oil to clay pot or Dutch oven. Set over medium heat. Add reserved coriander-garlic-pepper paste to the oil; sauté lightly. Increase to high heat. Add ginger, chilies and the crab pieces (add cooked crab later); toss and brown for a minute. Add shrimp and green onions to crab mixture; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and mung bean noodles; toss and mix together. Stir in water, cover pot, reduce to medium heat and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. If noodles seem dry, add more water. Increase to medium-high heat, add fish, squid and cooked crab, mix with the noodles, top with the basil leaves. Cover. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer. Check for doneness. Bring the clay pot to the table and serve hot with rice and vegetables.

2 whole crabs (about 2 pounds or 1 kg)
1 tablespoon oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 slices lean bacon, cut into 1 inch (2 ½ cm) pieces
2 coriander roots, cut in half
2 inches (5 cm) ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
8 ounce (250 g) dried glass noodles (bean threads or cellophane noodles) soaked in cold water to soften for 5 minutes and drained
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 spring onions, cut in 1 ½ inch (4-cm) lengths
1 spring coriander leaves (cilantro)

Stock
2 cups (500 ml) Thai Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons brandy or whiskey
2 teaspoons sugar

Methods:

Place all the Stock ingredients in pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Clean each crab by scrubbing it briskly with a brush. (If still alive, make sure the pincers are tied securely.) Rinse well with cold water. Using a cleaver or a heavy knife, cut the crab in half, then halve it again. Chop off the pincers, crack them and set aside. Remove the shell, scrape it out and set aside any roe.

Heat the ol in a large clay pot or heatproof casserole. Stir-fry the garlic over high heat till lightly brown. Add bacon and stir-fry for one minute. Add crab, coriander roots, ginger and peppercorns. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Add glass noodles, butter, soy sauce and Stock. Mix will, cover and cook over high heat for 15-20 minutes or until crabs are cooked. Stir in spring onions and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

3 blue crabs

Methods:

Put crabs in a large pot with rack and tight fitting lid, or large steamer. Steam covered, until crabs turn bright red color, about 15 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

½ pound small sea crab
2 tablespoons corn flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
oil for deep frying

Methods:

Mix the corn flour with the egg, salt, light soy sauce and black pepper. Clean the crabs and put into the flour batter. Heat oil to 375°F,add the crabs and fry for 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve With sweet chili sauce,tomato,and cucumber.

1 kingfish, weighing 1 to 1 ½ pounds
1 tablespoon finely sliced shallot
2 tablespoon shredded green mango
1 teaspoon shredded hot chili
2 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon palm sugar
2 cup cooking oil

Methods:

Wash, clean and butterfly the fish leaving the two sides joined along the belly. Open the fish out flat so that the skin is downward, remove the bones, and score the flesh with a knife. After allowing it to dry, lay the fish opened out flat in strong sunshine for five to six hours, turning regularly so the sun strikes both the skin side and the interior.

Pour the oil into a deep frying pan and place on medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the fish, still opened out, in the oil. When the lower side becomes crisp and golden, turn the fish and continue frying until it is done on both sides; then, remove from the pan, drain, place on a serving dish.

Toss the shallots, mango and chili together, seasoning with fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar so that a sour taste is the predominant one. Spoon into a bowl and serve with the fish.

3 pounds squid, cut into rings
lemon-garlic butter

Methods:

Make a fire, preferably with firewood or Mexican charcoal, started from paper and kindling. Skewer the squid. When coals are red hot, barbecue the rings for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they are brown.