You could serve either whole fish like seabass, brill, bream, plaice or mullet or chunky pieces of meaty fish like monk fish, cod or halibut steaks. A whole seabass makes a splendid presentation but is harder to serve because of the bones. I have also used filleted fish quite successfully.
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for the coating:
- 1 whole seabass weighing approximately 1 kg, cleaned and scaled
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- sprinkling of ground white pepper
Ingredients for the sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons granulated or soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ginger, cut into julienne strips
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Heinz tomato ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sherry or Shaoshing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Suggested ingredients for the vegetable garnish (You do not need all of the following ingredients)
- 1 fresh tomatoes, cut into quarters
- ¼ cucumber, peeled and de-seeded
- 2 slices of fresh pineapple cut into small pieces
- 2 stalks of spring onion or coriander leaves
METHOD
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the fish and cover with beaten egg white. Dust with cornflour to coat. Set aside until ready to cook.
- To make the sauce – Heat cooking oil in a hot wok and add ginger and garlic. Fry for a few seconds until the garlic starts to brown a little. Add sugar and let it caramelize to a golden brown. Add water and the rest of the sauce ingredients in quick succession. Season to taste, balancing the sweet with the sour flavours according to personal taste.
- Deep fry the fish in hot oil. A small wok is ideal for deep frying. You will need at least 4 cups of cooking oil to immerse the fish completely. Turn over after 5-7 minutes and fry the fish on the other side until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and transfer to serving plate.
- When you are ready to serve, arrange the vegetable garnish over the fish and pour the hot sauce over it.