THE GREAT THAI SEAFOOD NAME GAME

or why your "Snapper" might not actually be a snapper... Anyone travelling through Southern Thailand has seen it. A beautiful display of fish on ice. Small signs proudly announcing: • Red Snapper • White Snapper • Lobster Simple. Easy. Unfortunately... not necessarily accurate. Not because somebody is trying to deceive you, but because seafood names in Thailand have evolved into a curious mixture of biology, translation shortcuts and tourism. Let's untangle the net: RED SNAPPER? If you come from Europe or North America, "Red Snapper" usually refers to one very specific fish: Lutjanus campechanus The problem? That species lives in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Not Thailand. Here in the Indo-Pacific there are several closely related snapper species such as Malabar Blood Snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) or Crimson Snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus). Calling them "Red Snapper" is understandable. Scientifically it isn't correct. To make things even more confusing, cheaper restaurants and markets may sometimes sell Red Tilapia under names suggesting snapper because most visitors simply recognise the word "Snapper." WHITE SNAPPER? This one is even stranger. There is no recognised commercial species called White Snapper. In Southern Thailand this almost always refers to: Barramundi (Asian Sea Bass – Lates calcarifer) It is an excellent eating fish. In fact, it is the classic choice for Thai dishes like steamed fish with lime and chilli. The confusing part is only the name. THE LOBSTER WITH NO CLAWS

Many Western visitors imagine a lobster looking like this:

• Big claws • Cold Atlantic waters • Sweet, delicate meat

Thailand's (Phuket) lobster is different.

Almost every lobster served here is a Spiny (Rock) Lobster:

• No claws • Long antennae • All the meat is in the tail

Different animal Different texture Still absolutely delicious over charcoal with garlic butter.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? Because common names are surprisingly unreliable:

• One fish can have dozens of local names.

• One English name may refer to several completely different species.

• Restaurants often choose the name visitors are most likely to recognise.

• It makes ordering easier.

• It doesn't necessarily make the biology correct.

WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY

At Rice Paddy we have always believed that great food deserves honest names. Whenever practical, we tell you exactly what species you are eating.

If today's fresh catch is Barracuda, we'll call it Barracuda. If it's Sailfish, we'll call it Sailfish. If it's Jackfish, we'll tell you it's Jackfish.

And if we're serving Barramundi, we won't pretend it came from an Atlantic reef.

For us, authenticity isn't only about recipes. It is also about honesty.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH Thailand's seafood markets are fascinating. They're also wonderfully confusing. There are really only two ways to deal with that:

• The first is having access to better ingredients and better suppliers than the average restaurant.

• The second is complete honesty and transparency about what is actually on the plate.

At Rice Paddy we try to do both. Because authentic Thai cooking deserves authentic information just as much as authentic flavours.