Pan-Fried Fish with Thai-Style Salad and Coconut Sauce

Steps

1. Set all ingredients aside. Combine rice, water and a pinch of salt in a medium pot and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, stir, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to lowest heat to cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to steam, still covered, for a further 8 minutes. Do not lift lid during cooking.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. For the salad, mix fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Thinly slice onion (if using) and grate carrot then set both aside.
3. Pat fish dry and remove any remaining scales or bones. Dice into 4-5cm pieces. Mix cornflour and salt in a medium bowl or plate then coat fish pieces in cornflour, shaking off excess.
4. While rice is steaming, heat butter (if using) and a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan on high heat. Cook fish, in batches, for 1-2 minutes each side (depending on thickness), until golden and just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Do not cover with foil, so fish stays crispy.
5. Wipe pan clean and return to a low heat. Add the sauce and simmer for about 1 minute, until heated through. While sauce heats through, add onion, carrot, spinach and mung bean sprouts to bowl with dressing. Toss to combine and season to taste. Cut remaining lemon into wedges and chop coriander.
6. To serve, spoon ¾ cup cooked rice per person onto each plate. Top with a few pieces of fish, spoon over sauce and garnish with chilli flakes (if using), coriander, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve salad on the side.