Chinese Style Pan-Fried Pomfret Fish with Sweet Soy Dressing 中式蒜香煎鱼

Pan-fried whole pomfret is always a real challenge to me. Although I always pan fry salmon fillet, cod fillet and tread-fin fillet (which I categorised as easy task), when come to pan-frying whole fish, my hands shake! I have phobia of oil splattering while pan-frying the fish.

No matter how I dry the fish, well I can use 1/2 roll of kitchen towel just to pat dry a small pomfret. There's still moist in the fish that cause the oil splatter while I frying the fish. Not continuously but on and off, the oil will vigorously splatter. Probably it's the moist from the flesh, I guess.

This was how I pan-fry fish, with a kitchen glove!!
don't laugh too loud please, that's how I protect my hand.

Tell you what, I have no more fear of frying fish (at this moment lol...). This, I must thank - Ms. Jocelyn Chan. I posted a photo of me frying fish (the picture above) on my facebook and she sent me a private message sharing some useful tips with me - Lightly coat the fish with Tapioca Flour. And today, I tried it. It works, no more 'surprise' oil splattering while frying fish. Thank you dear Jocelyn for being so thoughtful to pm me and sharing this method with me ;) Much appreciated!


Here are the 2 fried fish that I cooked - 1st & 2nd attempt

The 2 little pomfret for my experiments

17 Sept 2015 - consider 1st attempt because I never successfully fried a fish from beginning to end, always cooked halfway and run away (hubby took over).


1st attempt, without flour coating. Just pat dried with kitchen towel. Using my new Green Pan, the skin is so crispy and yummy!

Before adding the soy dressing. Nicely brown and crisp.

The skin of the fish was so crispy. Super like!

18 Sept 2015 - 2nd attempt: After pat dried the fish with kitchen towels, coat with a thin layer of tapioca flour, then fry...

Before adding the soy dressing.
 

My experiment haven't end yet. I shall try it with other flour and method. Therefore, I will not share the details on how to control the heat while pan frying fish because I'm still learning with my new pan. I find that the one with flour coating wasn't nicely brown. Perhaps the heat and cooking time need to adjust for frying flour coating fish? So, at this moment I'll just share the sweet soy dressing that I like :)


Ingredients:

Sauce: mix in a bowl

1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Shao Xing Wine

1/4 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Sugar

A dash of White Pepper

2 tbsp Water


Toppings:

Garlic (thinly sliced)

Spring Onion (chopped)

If you are sharing this recipe, kindly attach the link to this blog instead of screen capture/ copy & paste/ use in your blog and claimed as your recipe! Thank you.

如果您要分享此食谱，请联系这个部落格的相关链接。敬请不要复制或改篇为自己的食谱。谢谢！


Method:


1. Once the fish is ready, discard the excess oil (I keep 1/2 of the oil used to fry fish to make the dressing).


2. Add in garlic, fry until light brown. Drain and transfer to the fish.

3. Using the same oil, add sauce ingredients. It will sizzle and boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and pour on the fish. 

4. Serve warm with steamed rice.