Alaska Black Cod with Ginger-Lime Sauce

From: Chef Mai Pham, Lemon Grass Restaurant, Sacramento, CA. Yield: 4 servings.

Black Cod:

• 1 lb. Alaska Black Cod fillet, skin-on, cut into 4 pieces
• 1⁄2 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 small cloves garlic, uncut
• 1 cup Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce (yields about 1 cup):

• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 2-3 Thai bird chiles (or 1 serrano chile), chopped
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1⁄4 cup fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. water

Place the garlic, chiles, sugar and ginger in a mortar and pound into a paste. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice and water. Set aside 15 minutes before serving.

Seed cucumber and cut into long, thin strips about the thickness of angel hair pasta. Add cucumber slices to Ginger- Lime Dipping Sauce and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook fillets untl golden and just done, 2 to 3 minutes depending on thickness. Halfway into the cooking, add whole garlic cloves and cook untl soft. Remove fillets and garlic and drain on paper towels.

To serve: Arrange fillet on serving plate. Scatter cooked garlic cloves on top. Remove cucumbers from dipping sauce and neatly place on fillet. Drizzle some sauce over the top and serve remainder on the side.