SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS "a dish from the deep"

One of the greatest joys of Thailand is the superb seafood. Bangkok has no shortage of seafood restaurants, and they reflect the city's diversity. Some restaurants serve seafood with a regional Italian focus, drawing on the cuisine of the Italian coast. These establishments may offer seafood with fresh accompaniments of local and Italian style vegetables while dishes are prepared with olive oil, Italian spices and herbs. Many restaurants thru-out the city offer glass display cases for selecting the freshest fish. The menu often impresses patrons with impressive entrees from "Tom Yum Goong" to "Fried Fish with Garlic and Pepper." With the theme being fish, the quality can be superb. From sushi and sashimi to a main menu of fin swimming fish. Hotels are often more expensive than small establishments that may not have the ambiance, service, or selection of food and wine but upscale hotels usually assure patrons of quality fish and freshness along with exceptional dishes of food prepared by expert chefs. There are also many independent establishments that specialize in seafood that are well worth the trip. There are places that deliver less in quality yet charge top dollar for their selections. This may be due partially to the location of a restaurant in prime tourist areas like Silom or Sukhumvit or tourists areas of Pattaya. Patrons must be weary of places that may not have a good turn-over of customers that would allow fish and seafood to be less than the freshest and never let your taxi or tuk-tuk recommend a place to dine as he does so only to receive a generous tip from the establishment. The range of prices in Bangkok is even bigger than the selection of fish. Some places like The Seafood Market on Sukhumvit Soi 24 demand more than 3100 baht per kilo for lobster and 1600 to 2300 baht for shrimp, plus a cooking charge, (which is much more than most tourists will pay back home). Some restaurants offer comparable quality fish and seafood for 300 to 1000 baht per kilo. Granted, some upscale restaurants may offer much nicer ambiance, greater selection of wines, and some may even have a traditional Thai cultural show that enhances the dining experience. Below is a list of some of the seafood Thailand has to offer and some common ways it is prepared. Shellfish: Oysters on the half shell served chilled with a garlic-lemon and chili sauce topped with Chinese mustard are often  served as an appetizer. Another method of preparing oysters is to have them fried, boiled, or stewed in a clay pot with fragrant basil leaves. Cockles, clams, mussels, and more shellfish choices are available. These shellfish are aromatically steamed with sweet herbs, or saut้ed in garlic butter. When selecting shellfish, it is considered fresh when the membrane is clear. Fish: Steamed Fish (Pla Neung) is served in a fish-shaped tray atop a burner. Every restaurant has its own varied of garnishing for steamed fish. Some are topped with preserved Soya beans, ginger, garlic & onions. Others combine minced pork with preserved lemon, preserved leeks, chilies, onions, or shallots. Snapper, grouper, sea bass, sea perch, and skip jack, are recommended fish for steaming. Sweet and Sour fish (Pla Preaw Wan) is a deep-fried fish with a simmered sauce made from arrowroot, baby cucumbers, tomatoes, pineapple, and onions ladled over the fish. Fish with Three Sauces (Pla Sam Rod) is a deep-fried fish served with a combination of three sauces. Deep - fried mustard green are used as garnishing. Flounder, skipjack, and sole are recommended for this special Thai dish. Fried Fish with Garlic and Pepper (Pla Thod Krathiam) is pan-fried and seasoned with fried garlic and a strong dash of pepper. BBQ Fish (Pla Yang) is a tasty treat wrapped in banana leaf and barbecued directly on the grill. When selecting a fresh fish, the eyes must be shining and not dull or glazed. The body must be firm when pressed and the gills should be a rich red color. Lobsters: Lobsters are usually kept in tanks and can be steamed and served with garlic butter. Seafood restaurants pride themselves in their own secret sauce recipes to accompany your order. In choosing lobsters the joint between the head and tail must be translucent and not of a black discoloration. Squid: Garlic squid or barbecued squid are savory dishes, but squid deep-fried in batter is a delicious way of preparation. The thin crispy batter crumbles as you bite into the tasty, tender meat. Prawns: A wide variety of prawns are available grey or pink. Tiger prawns are commonly called jumbo prawns. They are usually barbecued and the meat pulls easily away from the shell. slit in half, and saut้ed with garlic butter, is another popular way of cooking prawns. Smaller prawns can be deliciously prepared with steamed herb, fried with garlic and pepper, or baked with salt. But one should not leave Thailand without trying Tom Yum Goong , the undeclared national soup of Thailand made of lemon grass, ginger, and shrimp. When selecting prawns, the head should not be discolored, nor should it have and unpleasant smell. Crabs: Crabs taste great when fried with curry powder. Crab claws with glass noodles and celery is a mild and tempting Thai dish served in a clay pot. Barbecued crabs is an interesting way of preparation, while steamed crabs are the European way of savoring the natural sweetness of the meat. To assure freshness, crabs must be alive when you select them.