Crispy Chinese Fried Fish Recipe: Salt and Pepper Fried Fish!
Fish is not only a great source of protein but also contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, vitamin B2, iron, zinc, and more. It also provides omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for your heart. This is why the American Heart Association suggests you eat fish at least twice a week.
If you are bored of eating fish in regular ways, I have an interesting recipe for you. This Chinese fried fish recipe is made by marinating fish with flavorful seasonings and deep-frying with a crispy coating.
Besides the detailed steps for making the fish, I will mention all the ingredients and necessary utensils. Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
A Short Recipe Overview
The recipe is simple, but it has some steps that take some time. So, get prepared for that by checking the following overview chart.
| Course: Main | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 20 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 2 persons | 12 minutes | 8 minutes | 211 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
For your convenience, I listed the ingredients below. Check it out so that you don’t miss any crucial ingredients.
- Fish: 2 fillets
- Chili Pepper: 4-5 red chili peppers, finely chopped
- Green Onion: 3-4 stalks, finely chopped
- Garlic: 1 large garlic, diced
- Salt: ½ tsp
- White Pepper: ½ tsp, freshly ground
- Garlic Powder: ½ tsp
- Egg: 1 pc
- Flour: 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- Cornstarch: ½ cup
- Baking Powder: ¼ tsp
- Oil: 1 liter
- Five Spice Powder: 1 tbsp
- Chili Flakes: ½ tsp
Tools Needed for the Recipe
Here is a list of the utensils or tools you will need for this recipe.
- Paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- One large and one medium bowl
- One medium casserole
- One medium frying pan
- Strainer
- Spoons and chopsticks
Chinese Fried Fish Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Now that you have everything organized, let’s start the process.
Step 1: Clean and Cut the Fish and Aromatics
After washing the fish fillets, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, cut them into cubes. Each cube should be about 1.5-2 inches. Then, cut the red chili peppers, green onions, and garlic.
You Can Also Try: Steam Salmon Chinese Recipe
Step 2: Marinate and Coat the Fish
Take the fish cubes in a large bowl. Season them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix one egg with the fish cubes. In another bowl, combine plain flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Then, add the flour mixture to the fish and make sure the fish cubes are coated properly.
Step 3: Fry the Fish
Heat oil in a medium casserole. Once the oil is hot, put the coated fish cubes into the oil and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. The outside should be golden brown and crispy. Take the fish out using a strainer.
Step 4: Spice Up the Fish
Put the chopped garlic in hot oil. Then, put some chili flakes, chopped red chilies, and chopped white parts of green onions. Prepare a seasoning mix by mixing Chinese five-spice powder, salt, and white pepper.
Then, add the fried fish to the pan and sprinkle the seasoning mix over them. Finally, garnish the fried fish with chopped green onions.
Chinese Fried Fish Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- After washing the fish fillets, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, cut them into cubes. Each cube should be about 1.5-2 inches. Then, cut the red chili peppers, green onions, and garlic.
- Take the fish cubes in a large bowl. Season them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix one egg with the fish cubes. In another bowl, combine plain flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Then, add the flour mixture to the fish and make sure the fish cubes are coated properly.
- Heat oil in a medium casserole. Once the oil is hot, put the coated fish cubes into the oil and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. The outside should be golden brown and crispy. Take the fish out using a strainer.
- Put the chopped garlic in hot oil. Then, put some chili flakes, chopped red chilies, and chopped white parts of green onions. Prepare a seasoning mix by mixing Chinese five-spice powder, salt, and white pepper.
- Then, add the fried fish to the pan and sprinkle the seasoning mix over them. Finally, garnish the fried fish with chopped green onions.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Eating fish is a healthy choice that benefits your heart health and boosts immunity. In each serving of this fried fish, you get 211 calories. You also get the following nutrients.
- Total Carbohydrates: 15.44g
- Protein: 13.34g
- Total Fat: 11.18g
- Saturated Fat: 2.57g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.71g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 2.35g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 0.46g
- Total Sugar: 1.8g
- Cholesterol: 30.94mg
- Sodium: 484.12mg
- Potassium: 291.2mg
- Calcium: 16.38mg
- Iron: 1.92mg
- Magnesium: 21.84mg
- Phosphorus: 155.61mg
- Vitamin A: 34.58IU
- Vitamin B12: 1.01mcg
- Folate: 15.47mcg
It is evident from the above list that the fried fish recipe provides a lot of vitamins and minerals you need daily. You get a good amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat from this recipe, where a large portion of the fat is unsaturated.
Moreover, this recipe is low in cholesterol and has minerals that aren’t usually available in all recipes. Besides the minerals, you get Vitamin B12 and folate from this fried fish recipe. So, you can add it to your menu often.
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
You can follow these tips to make your fried fish recipe better.
Do’s
- Make sure the fish fillets are dried properly. Otherwise, the egg and flour coating will not stick to the fish.
- Choose a fish with flaky meat. Such a fish will have a much more tender texture after frying it.
Don’ts
- Don’t fry the fish on high heat. It will darken the coating too fast while the inside will remain undercooked. Use medium heat to fry the fish.
- Don’t overcook the fish when stir-frying with spices. It will make the fish rubbery and dry.
Which Fish Is the Best for This Recipe?
Lean fish is the best for recipes where you use a dry or wet coating. For example, cod is a popular fish for this recipe. If cod isn’t available, you can use tilapia or haddock as well. Lean fish turns out super tender and flaky after deep-frying.
This type of fish also absorbs the seasonings well, so you will get flavorful fried fish. If you use oily fish for this recipe, the result might not be as great as you expected.
Can I Use a Wet Batter for This Fried Fish Recipe?
Yes, you can use a wet batter for this recipe. In that case, you need to mix the seasonings with the dry flour. Then, mix the egg and make the batter thinner by adding beer. You need to dry the fish fillets fully so that the batter sticks to the surface.
I recommend using the dry coating method because it gives a much more crispy texture than the wet batter.
What Side Dishes Can I Serve With This Fried Fish?
You can serve a wide variety of side dishes with this fried fish. Pan-fried vegetables pair well with fried fish and increase the nutritional value of the meal. You can also serve white rice, fried rice, potatoes, etc., with this fried fish recipe.
Whatever side dish you choose, don’t forget to serve some sweet chili sauce, mint sauce, or tartar sauce with the fried fish.
How Hot Should the Oil Be for Frying the Fish?
It depends on the thickness and size of the fish. If you are using thick fillets of more than one inch, you should heat oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For thinner fillets or smaller cubes, you should keep the oil temperature at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is because thinner pieces get cooked faster and thicker pieces take more time to cook.
Conclusion
The real pleasure of eating fried fish is when you bite the crispy coating and the tender flesh bursts inside your mouth. To make lovely fried fish, you need the right fish, seasonings, and tools. In this Chinese fried fish recipe, I mentioned everything in detail so that anyone can make restaurant-like fried fish at home.
Give this recipe a try and make mouth-watering fried fish with some simple spices and seasonings.
