Emma wrote on Aug 26
th, 2014 at 8:33pm:
sounds yummy... so you basically mash the fish with the added ingredients... perhaps form small balls to dip..??
Reminds of the best raw fish ever had. My former sister-in-law was from Nthn Thailand.. who learned more working in Bangkok restaurant.
She made a fresh mackerel dish that I remember to this day.. 25 yrs later. !
All hands on .. she cleaned then mashed the mackerel using a large cleaver, sat aside then made up the most exquisite chilli sauce.. with..coriander, other herbs spices and sauces well I never learned the ingredients ..
mixed in the raw mackerel. placed in a bowl... Then.. and this is the only time I have had this meal..
steamed sticky rice, was used as the vessel,, so a ball of sticky rice was used to dip up the mackerel. Utter Bliss.
Best ever, never tasted anything like it before or since. And the sticky rice was perfect.!
AND od course... this was just one of many exceptional dishes in a feast... Best ever...
All cooked on a wood fire... Learned a lot from that lady.
I'll see the fisho soon.

So.. I can get sashimi type chunks of tuna, but they are frozen.. so if fisho has ,.........say .. other, local fish.. meaning Oz and NZ, what other fish might be good.
I adore Red Emperor, but haven't had any for ages.. and Mackerel, Flounder, ,, not so much Schnapper for some reason.
cheers..
I'm so envious of how skilfully and elegantly Asians use cleavers, as if they've just got a small paring knife, for every purpose in the kitchen.
By all means, if you want to 'mash' everything together, that's fine, and very much an Asian method with raw fish etc. It's a matter of choice really. Mackerel is such an underrated fish, it's lovely for sashimi, also any white fleshed fish does the job. Tuna is typically used, as is salmon, not everyone likes the flavour and/or mouth feel of either. Flounder can be used, it has a distinct flavour that may or may not be to your liking, I don't like it raw myself, but again, it is a choice.
Frozen fish is not something I would recommend, for sashimi especially, so ask your fisho what they have that's fresh if you want to make sashimi, and they can help you with quantities if you're sharing the goodness with guests.
Here's a recipe I make for Nuoc Cham, it's a Vietnamese chilli dipping sauce. Maybe it's the sauce you remember? Alter ingredient amounts according to your own taste. I like spicy.
Makes 1 cup, more or less.
2 to 3 Thai chillies-or any small chilli. Seeded, chopped finely.
1/2 tsp. ground chilli paste (eg sambal oelek or similar)
2/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup grated light brown palm sugar (white sugar is fine if you don't have any palm sugar handy)
1/4 cup fish sauce
3-4 Tbsp fresh lime juice, (or a rice wine vinegar, or cider vinegar)
If you want to add garlic, go ahead, just mash it with a pinch of salt into a paste and add to other ingreds.
2 or 3 Tbsp chopped coriander
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, leave to sit at room temperature till you're ready to use it. It can be kept in the fridge, if there's any left of course, for up to 3-4 weeks. I also add one small, finely julienned, or grated, carrot. Go wild, a recipe is only a guideline