Ginger Fish with Wonton Mee Sauce
Sweet and salty, with the perfect balance of umami-ness and richness, this Ginger Fish with Wonton Sauce is easy and quick to cook for any occasion. The tender boiled fish fillets melt in the mouth, contrasting with the crispy and caramelized ginger strips and garlic bits. Using only a few ingredients, this under-20 minutes recipe uses 1 pot on the stove, yet it can be cooked alongside white rice.
This recipe serves 4 to 5 adults.
Ingredients
Fish fillets, but any type of white-fleshed fish will do. I used Brackish Water fish in fillet form for a faster cooking time and ease of eating (no need to worry about bones), but you can use fish steaks, or whole fish too. Be sure to adjust the amount of water (adding more water to boil the fish), and increase the cooking time, depending on the type of fish cuts that you are using.
Salt, to taste.
Tapioca Flour, to make the flour slurry. You can also use cornstarch as a substitute with 1/3 tbsp of cornstarch with every 1 tbsp of tapioca flour.
Water, both to make the flour slurry, to boil the fish and to make the sauce.
Cooking oil, to fry the ginger and garlic until crispy and golden brown.
Ginger, cut into thin strips. They are deep-fried until super fragrant and caramelized.
Garlic, minced into small pieces.
Wonton Mee Sauce, which is homemade. It is a very easy and versatile sauce that can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks. It is also known as “Wantan Mee Sauce”. I’ve used it in other recipes like Chicken Feet Wonton Mee, Stir Fry Tofu with Wonton Mee Sauce, and Choy Sum with Wantan Mee Sauce.
Spring onions, chopped and used as a garnish.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make this Ginger Fish recipe:
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Marinate the fish.
- Make the flour slurry.
- Fry the ginger strips until crispy.
- Fry the minced garlic until crispy.
- Boil the fish with some garlic strips until cooked.
- Make the sauce.
- Pour the sauce, spring onions, garlic and ginger over the fish, and serve.
Tips
- I used Brackish Water fish, but any white-fleshed fish fillets will do.
- Marinating the fish with half the salt first and the other half later spreads the salt evenly.
- Every 1 tbsp of tapioca flour can be substituted with 1/3 tbsp of cornstarch.
- The oil used to fry the ginger and garlic is very fragrant, and is best used in other stir-fry dishes, or as a topping for porridge.
- The water should be boiling vigorously when adding the fish. This cooks the surface of the fish, limiting the fish’s liquid from mixing with the sauce. Avoid stirring the fish fillets once added as it also reduces the fishy taste and smell in the sauce.
- The nutritional information does not include rice.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
As this recipe is Boiled Ginger Fish, it is best consumed immediately after cooking.
As there will be leftover deep-fried crispy ginger and garlic, I usually keep them separately in kitchen towel-lined, clean airtight containers at room temperature. This way, they can be kept crispy for about 3 days to a week.
Seafood tends to deteriorate fairly quickly, so I do not recommend keeping this dish in the fridge, or in the freezer. If there are leftovers, they can be kept no more than overnight in the fridge. However, do note that the fish should be thoroughly re-heated (until boiling for a few minutes) over the stove. Do note that the crispy ginger will become limp and hard – so it is best to sprinkle new ones over it.
The ice crystals formed in the freezer tend to alter the texture of the fish, so it may become mushy, rather than soft and tender.
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Ginger Fish with Wonton Mee Sauce
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Stainless Steel Pan
- Strainer
- Turner
Ingredients
- 330 g fish fillets
- 1/2 tsp salt, to marinate
- 1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 25 ml water, for the flour slurry
- 100 ml cooking oil
- 80 g ginger, sliced thinly into strips
- 50 g garlic, minced
- 400 ml water, for boiling
- 20 g ginger strips, for boiling
- 5 tbsp wonton mee sauce, homemade
- 2 tbsp spring onions, chopped, for garnishing
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Marinate the fish fillets with 1/4 tsp of salt. Turn them over and marinate the rest with another 1/4 tsp of salt. Set them aside.
- In a small bowl, add the tapioca flour and 25ml of water to make the flour slurry. Stir to mix them until the flour has fully dissolved, and is well combined. Set them aside.
- In a frying pan over medium heat, add the cooking oil and allow it to heat up for about 1 minute.
- Add the 80g of ginger strips, frying continuously to cook them evenly for 3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Then, switch off the heat. Transfer them from the pan to a heat-resistant plate, shaking off any excess oil. Set them aside.
- Switch on the heat to medium, and add the minced garlic. Fry them continuously for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Then, switch off the heat. Remove the garlic from the pan with a strainer, shaking off the excess oil. Transfer to a heat-resistant plate and set them aside. Pour out the oil and store them as fragrant oil for stir-fry dishes.
- Place the pan back onto the stove. Pour 400ml of water into the pan. Cover it and switch on the heat to medium. Let it come to a rolling boil.
- Once the water is boiling, open the cover and carefully add the marinated fish all around the pan. Avoid moving the fish once they are in the pan. Sprinkle ginger strips over the fish. Cover the pan and let them boil for 2 minutes, or until the fish is cooked.
- After 2 minutes, open the cover and give the fish a gentle stir to submerge all the fillets. Cover the pan and cook for another minute.
- Switch off the heat. Transfer the fish from the pan onto the serving plate, being careful not to scoop the water as well. Set them aside.
- Remove some of the boiled water out, until about 200ml of it is left in the pan. Add the homemade wonton sauce. Switch on the heat to medium, and stir to cook the sauce until well combined.
- Once the sauce is boiling vigorously, which takes about 2 minutes, lower the heat to medium-low. Give the flour slurry a quick stir before pouring all of it into the pan. Stir the sauce until it is well combined and becomes thick and velvet-like. Switch off the heat.
- Pour the sauce all over the fish fillets. Then, garnish with chopped spring onions, 2 tsp of the fried garlic, and some fried ginger. Serve immediately with some white rice.
Video
Notes
- I used Brackish Water fish, but any white-fleshed fish fillets will do.
- Marinating the fish with half the salt first and the other half later spreads the salt evenly.
- Every 1 tbsp of tapioca flour can be substituted with 1/3 tbsp of cornstarch.
- The oil used to fry the ginger and garlic is very fragrant, and is best used in other stir-fry dishes, or as a topping for porridge.
- The water should be boiling vigorously when adding the fish. This cooks the surface of the fish, limiting the fish’s liquid from mixing with the sauce. Avoid stirring the fish fillets once added as it also reduces the fishy taste and smell in the sauce.
- The nutritional information does not include rice.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!