Crispy sweet and sour fish is a staple dish in our home. My mom loves to cook it specially if she does not have any idea what to do with fish. It’s like her go – to recipe in times of trouble.
Since it’s Mother’s Day I decided that I’ll be the one to cook for today. Drumroll! Its her favorite crispy sweet and sour fish. My mom simply fried the whole fish but in my case I butterflied the fish. Then, drenched it in seasoned flour.
To butterfly the fish, I simply fillet each sides of the fish but stopped 2/3 across the fish. That is, filleted meat is still attached to the body. Then I drenched every inch of the fish with the seasoned flour and deep fried it. By doing so, you’re going to have a crispy fish meat all throughout.
For the sweet and sour sauce, my mom would use ketchup but I’m not really into the ketchup. So I decided to substitute it with oyster sauce which turned out to my liking. I also used a cup of pineapple juice instead of water to give the sauce more flavor and natural sweetness.
Tips
You may opt to pour the sauce on top of the fish. However you have to serve it immediately or else the fish will be soggy. That’s why I don’t want it that way. What I always do is to serve the sauce on the side. I still get my fish crispy and simply pour enough sauce onto the fish when I want it.
The best fish to use for this crispy sweet and sour fish is Lapu – lapu or grouper. My dad bought 4 pieces of small Lapu – lapu which is ideal for a family of three. I cooked two pieces for lunch and reserved the other two for dinner. However, you can use any kind of fish you want. Tilapia is another fish commonly served this way.
For more fish recipes, you can check it out HERE.
Ingredients
Fried Fish
| 2 pieces | Small Fishes, Lapu – lapu is best |
| Salt | |
| Ground Black Pepper | |
| 1 cup | Potato Flour |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Ground Black Pepper |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Turmeric Powder |
| Cooking Oil for deep frying |
Sweet and Sour Sauce
| 3 Tablespoons | Olive Oil |
| 1 thumb – sized | Ginger, thinly sliced |
| 6 cloves | Garlic, crushed and thinly sliced |
| 1 bulb | Onion, sliced |
| 1 piece | Green Bell Pepper, sliced |
| 1 piece | Medium – sized Carrots, thinly sliced |
| 2 Tablespoons | White Vinegar |
| 6 Tablespoons | Oyster Sauce |
| 2 Tablespoons | Rice Wine |
| 1 cup | Pineapple Juice |
| 1 pinch | Chinese Five Spice, optional |
| Salt | |
| Ground Black Pepper | |
| 1 1/2 Tablespoons | Cornstarch |
| 2 Tablespoons | Water |
Procedure
Crispy Fried Fish
Thoroughly clean the fish and pat dry. Fillet each side of the fish stopping at 2/3 part of the fish. So you’ll not going to totally fillet it. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Combine potato flour, salt, black pepper and turmeric powder. Dredge the fish into the flour mixture until all parts of the fish are covered witht he flour mixture. Set aside for 15 minutes before deep frying.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
In a hot pan, sauté ginger, garlic, onions, green bell pepper and carrots in olive oil.
Add vinegar and cover for 2 minutes.
Add oyster sauce, rice wine, pineapple juice and Chinese Five Spice. Season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.
Premix cornstarch and water. Gradually add to the sauce until it thickens to your desired consistency.
Pour the sauce over the fried fish and serve immediately or serve the sauce on the side of the fish to maintain the crispiness of the fish.
Crispy Sweet and Sour Fish
Ingredients
Fried Fish
- 2 pieces Fish, Lapu-lapu is best
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Potato Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Cooking Oil for Deep Frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 thumb-sized Ginger, sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 bulb Onion, sliced
- 1 piece Green Bell Pepper, sliced
- 1 piece Medium – sized Carrot, sliced thinly
- 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
- 6 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine
- 1 cup Pineapple Juice
- 1 pinch Chinese Five Spice, optional
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Water
Instructions
Crispy Fried FIsh
- Thoroughly clean the fish and pat dry. Fillet each side of the fish stopping at 2/3 part of the fish. So you'll not going to totally fillet it. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Combine potato flour, salt, black pepper and turmeric powder. Dredge the fish into the flour mixture until all parts of the fish are covered witht he flour mixture. Set aside for 15 minutes before deep frying.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- In a hot pan, saute ginger, garlic, onions, green bell pepper and carrots in olive oil.
- Add vinegar and cover for 2 minutes.
- Add oyster sauce, rice wine, pineapple juice and Chinese Five Spice. Season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Premix cornstarch and water. Gradually add to the sauce until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- Pour the sauce over the fried fish and serve immediately or serve the sauce on the side of the fish to maintain the crispiness of the fish.
