You can use almost any whole fish with this recipe but snapper is particularly suited to the Thai flavours of basil, ginger and chillies.
Large chillies are less hot than smaller chillies, so choose those if you wish to lessen the heat of this dish.
Great recipe! Instead of baking this, I heat up wok in high heat, sauteed ginger, garlic, chili pepper and browned the fish on both sides (whole fish cutted in half) then toss in the rest of the ingredients, covered, cooked on medium heat until done. Did not add any water, but actually thickened sauce with a little cornstarch (mixed first in cold water), had to add a little more sugar since it was a little salty for my taste (fish sauce). overall it tasted great! Hubby loved it. served over rice. - 25 Sep 2009 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
This is awesome! I used Mahi fillets instead of a whole fish, so I couldn't exactly stuff the fillets with the basil. Instead, I seared the fish in the peanut oil. Covered it with a little of the sauce that is made on Step 4 of this recipe and some basil leaves, and then baked it for about 20mins in a 375 degree oven (cooking time would vary depending on your fillet size or fish choice). Served it along with the leftover sauce over Jasmine rice and Broccoli! LOVED IT! GREAT SAUCE! Thank you for the recipe! - 27 Sep 2010 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
This is the absolute best! Great flavor, easy and quick. I didn't have any fish sauce so I had to substitute my favorite stir fry sauce but it was still good. This one I raved about to everyone and I NEVER rave about my cooking. I think this sauce would be good with chicken also. I'm going to make up a big batch to freeze and have on hand. - 20 May 2010 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)