Happy Snapper

Our first evening on the beach, there are a dozen restaurants to choose from yet everyone is eating in just one, the Baan Panburi, so we return for dinner.

Adam chose the chef's special - A prawn Curry cooked in a fresh coconut. The style of curry is called Kaeng Phanaeng which translates as curry thick and savoury with peanuts. A whole shaved coconut appears with a square lid cut open from the top, inside is a thick creamy coconut curry, medium-spiced, a hint of peanuts, fat juicy prawns and slivers of fresh coconut, adding an interesting jelly texture. A lovely curry but quite rich with so much coconut cream.




In addition the the menu and the chef's specials there is a bbq beach hut with a selection of seafood on display from the day's catch. Red snapper, white snapper, tuna, barracuda and even shark.




If you are wondering what the difference is between the red and white snapper, white snapper has more flesh to eat. So since I am not paying by weight, I choose a whole white snapper to be grilled on the bbq for 200 baht (£3-4) and it arrives with a plate of rice served in the shape of a heart, a carrot and cabbage salad and a small bowl of spicy dressing. The dressing is made from lime juice, chillies, garlic, fermented fish sauce and palm sugar. Salty, sour, sweet and spicy, strong but all in harmony, it complements the fish and plain rice. I enjoyed the dressing so much I ordered another bowl - who cares about the ring of fire.