So many people here in the USA love Chinese food. When most people think of Chinese food, they think of noodles or rice with some type of highly seasoned beef or chicken, but the Chinese love fried seafood as much as Americans do. Nothing tastes like a big plate of juicy fried fish with all the fixings. The chinese do have their particular ways of making crispy fish though.
Today you will learn how to make an Asian version of an American classic: Chinese crispy fish. This is not your ordinary Chinese crispy fish recipe. This version of the recipe does not include rice or other traditional vegetables. This version of the recipe results in ordinary fried fish fillets that are flavored with traditional spices. If you regularly make Chinese food in your household then you probably already have all the ingredients on-hand to complete the recipe. If not, they are easily found at most any major supermarket or grocery store.
Ingredients For Chinese Crispy Fish
Marinade
Eight four-ounce portions of boneless fish (Flounder or any other white fish is great for this recipe)
Three cups of water
One clove of garlic
Two green onions
One cup of rice wine
Two tablespoons of soy sauce
One-half tablespoon of white pepper
One-half tablespoon of cayenne pepper
One tablespoon of ground ginger
One tablespoon of Chinese five-spice mix
One tablespoon of sugar
One-half teaspoon of salt
Breading For Chinese Crispy Fish
Two eggs
Two cups of flour
One-half teaspoon of ginger
One-half teaspoon of Chinese five-spice
One-half tablespoon of garlic powder
One-half teaspoon of white pepper
One-half teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Other Ingredients and Utensils Needed For Cooking Chinese Crispy Fried Fish
One deep fryer filled two-thirds full with peanut oil.
Directions For Preparing Chinese Crispy Fish
1. Pour your water, soy sauce, rice wine, ground ginger, cayenne & white pepper, sugar, and salt into a marinade pan.
2. Chop your garlic and green onions and toss them in the marinade.
3. Place your fish fillets in the marinade and allow soaking for at least eight hours. Fish readily absorbs flavors so you do not have to marinate for long periods.
4. Take a breading pan and pour your flour and spices in mixing thoroughly.
5. Break your eggs in a small dish and beat well.
6. Heat your deep fryer to 350 degrees.
7. Take each fish fillet and dip it in the egg mixture and then coat thoroughly with the breading mix.
8. Drop gently into the deep fryer and allow to cook until golden brown and the fish floats in the oil.
9. Repeat until you have all fish cooked and serve while hot.
Chinese crispy fish can be served with rice and traditional vegetables if you wish, however it goes just as well with American sides such as coleslaw and french-fries with some tartar sauce. For a more authentic taste, you can substitute shrimp sauce for the tartar sauce.
Tips:
1. Do not reuse your breading or marinade when making Chinese crispy fish. Reusing the ingredients can result in food poisoning that can make you sick or cause death.
2. Allow five minutes time between batches in your deep fryer so that the fryer has time to heat back up to 350 degrees.