Satisfying Deep Fried Sweet Sour Fish
Tomato-ey, sweet and tangy, Deep Fried Sweet Sour Fish is delicious on its own or with rice. Thickened and smooth gravy and crispy fish bites make it so memorable.
White fleshed fish that is frozen and thawed, is coated and deep-fried until crispy. The vegetables are naturally sweet and crunchy, which contrast with the deep-fried fish. Sweet with a light crunch, and drenched in sweet-tangy gravy that’s full of tomato flavour, this meal is one of my family’s favourites.
This recipe serves 4 adults.
Deep Fried Sweet Sour Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g of frozen fish fillets, thawed
- 120 g of tomatoes, cut into cubes
- 100 g of yellow onions, cut into cubes
- 100 g of yellow capsicum, cut into cubes
- 70 g of cucumber, cut into cubes
- 40 g of spring onions, cut into 1 inch in length, with leaves and stems separated
- 3 tbsp of homemade crispy flour
- 6 tbsp of tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp of chilli sauce
- 1/2 tbsp of crispy garlic
- 2 tbsp of garlic oil
- 1 tsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of tapioca flour
- 150 ml of water
- 700g of cooking oil for deep frying
Utensils
- basin
- stainless steel pan
- wooden cooking chopsticks
- strainer
- mini-strainer
- cooling rack
- non-stick pan
- silicone spatula
Method
Preheat oil for deep-frying over medium heat for 8 minutes.
Mix 25ml of water with tapioca flour until fully dissolved to make the gravy thickener.
Marinate the fish with salt evenly. Sprinkle the crispy flour over the fish and coat them evenly in 3 parts. Set aside.
Add light soy sauce, Woscestershire sauce, sugar, half of the garlic oil, oyster sauce, chilli sauce and tomato sauce. Mix until well-combined and set aside.
Test the oil. When it’s hot enough, add all the floured fish individually into the pan. Deep-fry for about 5-6 minutes, flipping them to evenly cook them, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a strainer, shaking to drip off the excess oil. Rest on a cooling rack as the sweet-sour sauce is prepared.
Add the rest of the garlic oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the yellow onions and stems of the spring onions. Stir briefly. Let them cook for 1 minute and 20 seconds, or until translucent and aromatic.
After 1 minute, add capsicum, cucumbers, water and the rest of the seasonings. Stir to mix well. Cover the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until it comes to a rolling boil.
After 2 minutes, open the pan. The vegetables are cooked and softened. Stir in all the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer for another minute.
Adjust to taste. Pour the gravy thickener while stirring until well-combined. Switch off the heat.
Add all the deep-fried fish and stir until well-coated with the gravy.
Add half of the crispy fried garlic and spring onion leaves. Stir to mix.
Dish out on a serving plate and top with the rest of the crispy fried garlic. Serve immediately.
Tips
To test if the oil is hot enough, immerse wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil. If it’s hot enough for deep-frying, bubbles will form at the tip.
Once the floured fish are added to the oil, they will stick to the surface of the pan. If there is not enough space, let them fry for about 1-2 minutes before teasing them with the strainer. If they move, gently push aside and add the rest of the fish pieces.
This Sweet Sour Fish recipe has crunchy vegetables for added texture. If softer vegetables are preferred, the capsicum and cucumbers can be simmered for 4 minutes instead of 2 minutes.
Storage Instructions
This Sweet Sour Fish should be enjoyed immediately for its crispy, crunchy and smooth texture.
It’s not recommended to keep in the fridge or freeze it, as not only will the texture change, but the taste may run as well.
Best Served with
Fragrant and flavourful with tomatoes and fried fish, this Sweet Sour Fish dish has the perfect balance of natural sweetness and light sourness from the sauces. The vegetables are tender on the outside, with a nice crunch on the inside. The fish is thinly encased with a light crispy batter, and its flesh is smooth and sweet.
Sweet Sour Fish goes so well with dishes with less gravy or paired with spicy dishes as an alternative for the kids or those with low spicy tolerance. It’s great with:
- Plain white rice
- Omelette dishes
Enjoy! 😀
Deep Fried Sweet Sour Fish
Equipment
- Stainless basin
- Frying Pan
- Wooden Chopsticks
- Large strainer
- Cooling Rack
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Silicone Turner
Ingredients
- 500 g fish fillet, white-fleshed fish, cut to pieces
- 120 g tomatoes, cut into cubes
- 100 g yellow onions, cut into cubes
- 100 g yellow capsicum, cut into cubes
- 70 g cucumber, cut into cubes
- 40 g spring onions, cut into 1-inch lengths, leaves and stems separated
- 3 tbsp homemade crispy flour
- 6 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce
- 1/2 tbsp crispy garlic
- 2 tbsp garlic oil
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 150 ml water
- 700 g cooking oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
- Preheat oil for deep-frying over medium heat for 8 minutes.
- Mix 25ml of water with tapioca flour until fully dissolved to make the gravy thickener. Set aside.
- Marinate the fish with salt evenly. Sprinkle the crispy flour over the fish and coat them evenly in 3 parts. Set aside.
- Add light soy sauce, Woscestershire sauce, sugar, half of the garlic oil, oyster sauce, chilli sauce and tomato sauce. Mix until well-combined and set aside.
- Test the oil. When it's hot enough, add all the floured fish individually into the pan. Deep-fry for about 5-6 minutes. Flip them often and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a strainer, shaking to drip off the excess oil. Rest on a cooling rack as the sweet sour sauce is prepared.
- Add the rest of the garlic oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the yellow onions and stems of the spring onions. Stir briefly. Let them cook for 1 minute and 20 seconds, or until translucent and aromatic.
- After 1 minute, add capsicum, cucumbers, water and the rest of the seasonings. Stir to mix well. Cover the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until it comes to a rolling boil. Once the vegetables are cooked and softened, stir in all the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer for another minute.
- Adjust to taste. Pour the gravy thickener while stirring until well-combined. Switch off the heat.
- Add all the deep-fried fish and stir until well-coated with the gravy. Add half of the crispy fried garlic and spring onion leaves. Stir to mix.
- Dish out on a serving plate and top with the rest of the crispy fried garlic.
Video
Notes
- Non-stick pans are not recommended for deep-frying the fish as the non-stick layer is easily damaged by high temperatures over a long period of time.
- Oil can be tested by immersing wooden cooking chopsticks. If bubbles form at the tip, it’s ready for deep-frying.
- The fish fillet will get stuck at the bottom of the Stainless Steel pan once immersed. It will detach after frying for 1-2 minutes. Do not move the fish beforehand, or it may break into pieces.
- The fish fillet can be cooked in batches if preferred. Otherwise, once the fish fillets have detached from the pan, more pieces can be added.
- This recipe yields vegetables that are crunchy at the core for a fun texture. If softer vegetables are preferred, the capsicum, yellow onions and cucumbers can be simmered for 4 instead of 2 minutes.
- This Sweet Sour Fish dish is highly recommended to enjoy immediately after cooking.
- Although leftovers can be stored in the fridge overnight, the texture of the fish will become hard and the taste will not be as delicious as just-cooked after reheating.
- Not recommended to freeze.