Thai Lime Garlic Steamed Fish (Pla Neung Manao)
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Thai lime garlic steamed fish, or pla neung manao, is one of the easiest ways to cook a whole fish at home. While the fish steams until incredibly tender, you pound together a bright, spicy sauce, pour it over the fish, and serve it with rice. The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes.
What is pla neung manao?
Pla neung manao is a Thai steamed fish dish served with a spicy lime and garlic sauce. The name literally means steamed fish with lime, and it’s a popular way to serve whole fish in Thailand.
The fish is steamed with lemongrass until tender, then covered with a fresh sauce made with lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, chilies, palm sugar, and coriander root. Fresh coriander and Chinese celery are added at the end.
The sauce is sour, salty, spicy, and slightly sweet all at once, with plenty to spoon over the fish and rice.
What fish is best for steaming?
For this recipe, I recommend a whole, mild, white-fleshed fish with firm flesh. Tilapia, sea bass, snapper, and grouper all work well.
Whole fish is especially good for steaming because the bones and skin help keep the fish moist while it cooks. You can also use a smaller whole fish if that’s what you have, just adjust the steaming time according to its weight.
If you enjoy cooking whole fish, try my fried fish with tamarind sauce, or pla pao if you want to try it on the grill.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find everything at Asian grocery stores or markets. Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Fish: I prefer making pla neung manao with a whole fish, like tilapia or snapper. You can also use fish fillets, but since they cook much faster, you’ll need to reduce the steaming time considerably.
- Palm sugar: Just enough to take the sharp edge off the lime and chilies. You can substitute light brown sugar if needed.
- Fish sauce: This provides the saltiness and umami in the sauce. I usually use Megachef.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is important here. It gives the sauce its strong, punchy flavor.
- Lime: Use freshly squeezed lime juice. This is one ingredient where I wouldn’t substitute bottled juice.
- Coriander root: If you can find it, use it. It adds another layer of fresh, earthy flavor to the sauce.
- Chilies: I use Thai Jinda chilies. Use fewer if you want less heat, or add more if you like your sauce spicy.
- Coriander: Add fresh coriander at the end so it stays fresh and fragrant.
- Chinese celery: This has a stronger, more aromatic flavor than regular celery and works especially well with steamed fish.
- Lemongrass: Stuff it into the fish while steaming to give the flesh a light citrusy aroma.
How to make Thai steamed fish with lime and garlic
1: Prepare the fish. Make sure the fish is gutted and thoroughly cleaned. Use a sharp knife to make 3–4 diagonal cuts on each side of the fish. This helps it cook more evenly and gives the sauce somewhere to soak into later.
Stuff the belly with lemongrass.
2: Steam the fish. Place the fish in a steamer and steam for about 15–25 minutes, depending on its size. The fish is ready when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
3: Make the sauce. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, coriander root, and chilies until finely crushed. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce, and freshly squeezed lime juice, then stir everything together.
4: Serve. Transfer the steamed fish to a serving plate and spoon the lime garlic sauce generously over the top. Finish with fresh coriander and Chinese celery. Serve immediately with jasmine rice.
How long to steam fish?
The exact steaming time depends on the weight and thickness of your fish. Use this table as a guide:
| Fish weight | Steaming time |
|---|---|
| 400–600 g | 10–15 minutes |
| 700–900 g | 15–20 minutes |
| 1–1.2 kg | 20–25 minutes |
How to store and reheat
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 2–3 days.
- Freeze: I wouldn’t recommend freezing this dish. The texture of steamed fish can suffer after freezing and thawing, and the fresh lime sauce won’t be as good.
- Reheat: Reheat gently in a steamer for 5–7 minutes, or until heated through.
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Thai Lime Garlic Steamed Fish (Pla Neung Manao)
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- steamer
Ingredients
- 2 lb whole fish, tilapia, snapper, sea bass, or grouper
- 5 ½ tbsp fresh lime juice
- 5 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 10 chilies, Thai Jinda chilies, to taste
- ⅓ cup coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 coriander root, cleaned and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup Chinese celery, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Instructions
- Prepare the fish: Clean and gut the fish, then make 3–4 diagonal cuts on each side. Stuff the belly with lemongrass.
- Steam the fish: Place the fish in a steamer and steam for 15–25 minutes, depending on its size, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily.
- Make the sauce: Pound the garlic, coriander root, and chilies in a mortar and pestle. Add palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice, then stir well.
- Serve: Transfer the steamed fish to a serving plate and pour the lime garlic sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh coriander and Chinese celery, and serve immediately with jasmine rice.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline