Asian Sweet and Sour Fish
Contrasting flavors of sweet and sour, as the name suggests, is typically found in Asian dishes. The most popular can be pork in Chinese cuisine but whole fish can also be covered in this delectable sauce cooked with strips of carrots, onions and ginger like in the Philippines. Mmmmm. Did anyone say sweet and sour fish? This is one of my favorite childhood dishes and I think it's time I introduce it to you and maybe, you can try making it at home. So take out that Asian food lover in you and make this easy fish recipe.
For the fish, lapu-lapu or grouper is the best to use in this recipe but any kind with similar meat can definitely go well. In Italy, I can't find any grouper so I use orata or gilt-head bream. It's the closest fish that I can associate with grouper and besides, I love orata.
Basically, you cook the fish separately from the sauce and vegetables. When the fish is cooked through and the vegetables tender and the sauce is thickening, just pour on the fish. This sweet and sour fish is best eaten with steamed white rice just like most Asian dishes. It is hard to eat the fish as is because the flavors are strong and the rice neutralizes them a bit.
You can get the Asian Sweet and Sour Fish recipe at She Knows, a site where I create recipes or just scroll down for the recipe. If you like this, you can check out my other recipes at my Profile Page. Enjoy your week!
Ingredients:
Asian Sweet and Sour Fish
Serves 2-3Ingredients:
- 1 pound whole white fish (gilthead sea bream, branzino, sea bass, red snapper, halibut), scaled and gutted
- 1/2 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 1/8 cup ginger, julienned
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Spring onions, roughly chopped
- Steamed white rice (for serving)
- Coat the fish with the flour well, and shake off the excess. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a large saucepan with olive oil over medium heat, cook the fish on both sides.
- While waiting for the fish to cook, prepare the sauce in another saucepan with a little olive oil over low-medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about a minute, then add the onions, carrots and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the water, vinegar, sugar and tomato paste, and mix well.
- In a small bowl, quickly mix the cornstarch with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce you are cooking, and whisk lightly with a fork until you get rid of the clumps. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the vegetables and sauce. Cook until it thickens, cover, and set aside.
- When the fish is cooked, drain it of the excess oil, and place it on a serving plate. Pour the sweet-and-sour sauce with the vegetables on top. Garnish with the spring onions.
- Serve with steamed white rice.
