A whole fish fried until lacquer-crispy and covered in a sweet-sour-spicy tamarind sauce — Thai restaurant showstopper.
A whole fish (usually barramundi/sea bass or tilapia) deep-fried until the skin shatters, then covered in nam pla wan — a sauce of tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce, and chilli.
Sweet (palm sugar), sour (tamarind), salty (fish sauce) — all three at once; sometimes a fourth note of spice from fried chilli.
Ordered whole for the table; the head and tail are crispy enough to eat entirely; the flesh is soft beneath the crust.
Thai restaurants at every level — it's a celebratory dish; 200–600 THB depending on fish size and restaurant; spectacular when done well.
Almost always ordered for the table rather than as an individual portion — a natural fit for a group meal alongside rice and a couple of other shared dishes.
A simple stir-fried vegetable dish and steamed rice balance the richness of the sauce nicely, keeping the meal from feeling too heavy overall.