THE GRUB REPORT: Ingredient of the Week: Lychees

When I'm at the grocery, I often find myself grabbing exotic items even though I have no real plan as to what I might do with them. It's due to the transient nature of the produce section at local groceries. What's here today might not and probably won't be here tomorrow.

So, you have to forget about planning meals ahead of time. You gotta get what there is to be gotten now and figure out a way to use it later. Such was the case when I happened upon a display of lychees.

Lychees are native to China and a staple of many Asian cuisines. They have a tough skin that's easily removed to reveal a somewhat fibrous white flesh. Their taste is a bit musky and unlike any other fruit that I can think of.

Since my experience with lychees has been exclusively in the realm of Thai cuisine, I felt like I should incorporate some of the classic flavor combinations from the region. Red snapper is pretty abundant in the Indian Ocean, and in Thai cuisine it is often paired with citrus or chilies to contrast its delicate flavor.

In our recipe, we forgo the citrus in favor of lychees in order to give the dish a subtler, more complex flavor.

Red Snapper with Lychee Chili Sauce

Ingredients
Sauce
1/3 cup lychees, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 red chili, seeded and chopped
1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (optional)

Fish
4 red snapper fillets
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp. cilantro
1 red chili, seeded and sliced lengthwise

Sauce
Combine lychees, shallots, red chili, ginger root, brown sugar and fish sauce in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Fish
Cut four or five shallow, diagonal slits on the skin side of your snapper fillets and place them in a shallow pan.

Coat both sides of the fish with the soy sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and fry the fillets, one at a time, for five minutes on each side, or until the skin is browned and the flesh is tender and flaky.

Spoon the lychee chili sauce over the fillets and garnish with cilantro, scallions and red pepper strips.

Originally posted to The Grub Report by Steve Gibson on July 19, 2007 08:43 PM

Comments
At July 21, 2007 12:10 AM, Bill Lewis said...
Steve Gibson, that looks like a very good recipe. I'm going to try this one if I can find some red snapper. I've seen lychees in the market.
My first taste of Asia, in Asia, was dried lychee "nuts" usually served with other appetizers during the pre-dinner cocktail hour(s). (I was "immersed" in Asian culture almost immediately after graduating from college and leaving Indiana. My first assignment was in East Asia where I spent an interesting thirteen months.) Fresh Lychees were usually included in fruit salads during the summer months. I always thought they tasted, and the fresh ones resembled, strawberrys.

At July 22, 2007 11:12 PM, Steve Gibson said...
Bill, I love hearing about your travels and hope one day to have the opportunity to visit some of these places myself.
Oddly enough, I discovered lychees at a Thai restaurant in Minnesota. It was the same day that I discovered the fruit called, "durian." They told us that we didn't want it, but that just made us want it all the more.
I know now that they were right. They brought it out and it smelled like an open sewer.
I guess in Thailand they actually have banned the eating of durian on the subway due to the stink! Yeah, I think I'll just stick to the lychees.

At July 25, 2007 2:46 PM, Bill Lewis said...
Steve Gibson, I'm hesitant to relate my travel/culinary experiences for fear it will be interpreted as bragging. I can assure that is not my intent. My job(I'm retired) required a lot of travel. The job related travel, in addition to my personal trips, have taken me almost around the world (literally).
I've not heard of "durian" but based on your description that is a culinary experience I will avoid. Of a similar nature Korea has a national dish called kimchi. It consists of fermented vegetables and is usually heavily seasoned. The smell alone is enough to discourage any casual American tourist from sampling it. In this particular case I will say "thank God for McDonalds in East Asia (not Europe).
I really enjoy your Blog and thanks for permitting me to provide my small contribution.