Ceviche-Sashimi-Gulf of Thailand

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At this point, my At-Home Thai-Cooking Recipes project is running full-steam-ahead. I cook&taste, and cook&taste relentlessly, and not until I am satisfied with the aformentioned steps do I proceed to document the recipe. Writing is such a great way to bring memories to the surface, and I can't help but share them with my audience. In writing my up-coming eBook for the sticky rice meal, some steps in the cooking process reminded me of the day my parents rented a boat and took us out to the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. This fond memory has nothing to do with my recipe, which originates from the northeast -The Isaan- region of Thailand; but, to my surprise, it somehow tied in with that recipe (which has to do with sticky rice, pan-fried nampla-marinated salmon, and minced pork&chicken in lime sauce).

"Step 3 reminds me so much of the trip my sister and I took with my parents, my mother's brother, sister and her husband, during which my mother rented a fishing boat- along with its captain and crew- for a day. All the adults packed their brand new sets of sushi knives and other prepping and cooking gear.

We started out at Rayong- which is about 90 miles, or 147 km, southeast of Bangkok- and ended up somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. The purpose of the whole trip was to fish and then eat what we fished. My mother and uncle-in-law set up their sashimi station, while my youngest uncle and the fishermen took care of the fishing and the cleaning of the fish. We caught many kinds of fish but I, at the age of eleven, recognized only two - sea bass and red snapper. My uncle-in-law whipped up a huge bowl of wasabi onto which he poured the deepest black-colored Kikkoman soy sauce. Both he and my mother sliced the fish, applying the technique they had learned from the Japanese chef my mother had hired for our house party just a week prior to this trip. My father, my aunt, my little sister and I enjoyed piece after piece of true sweetness from the fresh sashimi right from the sea, so tender it melted inside our mouths.

The sea breeze, fresh air, fresh food, and our happy family all combined to make a moment of pure happiness that will remain in my memories forever.

My youngest uncle soon joined us with a bowl of fresh and still "dancing" shrimp. He peeled them and expertly julienned stalks of lemongrass, chopped quite a bit of red prikkeenoo -the "heat"- and put them in the same bowl with the shrimp, as he squeezed in lime, piece-by-piece. He then added nampla (I remember distinctly that it happened to be the brand from Rayong which was made from baby shrimps -but still bore its trademark title, "nampla"), and then applied the finishing touch by adding fresh mint leaves (from the cooler) as garnish. With his bare hand, he mixed everything. I will never forget how he licked each of his fingers, all the while teasing us with suckling noises; and, at the same time, he offered the "dancing" shrimp ceviche to us. It's hard to picture my family without seeing a trip or involving any meal. This was one of many, many fond memories that I have from my Thai family."

Did you find the hidden recipe? Go ahead, comb through the story one more time.

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