Tasty fried salted fish ปลาสลิดเค็มทอด

Bangkok, Thailand

Saturday 11 May 2024

Hello,

Luckily, this Saturday is my free day. No work on schedule, no class to teach, no errands to run for; excluding chores, of course. Yes! today I just stretched my legs comfortably on the floor, watching some interesting programs, playing with my bossy cats and eating meals with no hurry. I feel very lazy and love to stay lazy as much as I can be. 

I didn't even have to cook because I already prepared my today meal since yesterday. What I have to do at lunch was heating my food in microwave. And today menu was fried salted gourami. 

Have you ever tasted it--fried salted gourami?  If not, just follow my article here. :)

Gourami or I should give you its full name > snakeskin gourami> is a kind of fresh water fish. It looks nice but very nicer when it is served in your dish.  This fish is called Pla Salid in Thai language.  Pla Salid can be cooked in different ways, yet the most popular method among Thai people here seems to be salted and dried in the sun. That is how we get dried salted gourami which can be kept for months.  And we simply fry and eat that salted fish later with steamed rice, boiled rice or noodle as preferred.  

It sounds very simple and its taste is mainly salty. Yet, trust me,  Fried salted Pla Salid is incredibly tasty. This simple salty fish was once a common home cooked dish with rather cheap price. A big one was just under 25 baht, for example.  However, in recent years, fish including gourami became much more expensive. Most water ways like canals and rivers have been so polluted that no big fish can survive and few fish and shrimps are found. People have to farm those fish and shrimps instead and they are not simple food any more. 

Now you could find salted gourami for sale in super market but with rather high prices.  One fried salted gourami in medium size could cost up to 100 baht. A bigger one then cost higher.  

Although the prices of salted Pla Salid rise a lot, many Thai people including I continue being its big fan. I can't help buying it whenever I find it a good price for a right size. My mother also loves it a great deal when I buy some for her.  Recently, I bought some from a vendor and fried it before bring the tasty fried fish to my mom. It's great to see a big smile on my mother's face.

Gigi💗😋