Fried Whole Fish with Chili Pineapple Sauce
To cook this crispy fried whole fish with chili pineapple sauce, I used my homemade sweet chili sauce, added fish sauce for balance and then stirred in a little pineapple juice for a delicate fruity flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 whole white snapper, or other firm and fleshy fish, about 800 grams, gutted and scales removed
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons potato starch, or corn starch
- 3 cups cooking oil, ,
- 3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 bird’s eye chili, finely sliced
- finely sliced scallions, to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the fish and wipe dry with a kitchen towel.
- Score both sides of the fish.
- Rub generously with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle starch over the entire fish.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.
- When the oil is just starting to smoke (or 350F to 375F if you’re using a thermometer), slide the fish in.
- Over high heat, cook until browned and crisp, about four minutes per side.
- Scoop out and lay on a serving plate.
- Pour off the oil from the wok or frying pan.
- Pour the sweet chili sauce, fish sauce and pineapple juice into the pan. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the pineapple chunks and bird’s eye chili slices. Simmer for 30 seconds.
- Pour the sauce, pineapple and chili over the fish.
- Garnish with scallions before serving.
Notes
In Asia, we know the gastronomic value of cooking fish whole. The rich flavor, after all, is concentrated in the bones, especially the head.
If you belong to a culture where fish head is considered unfit for human consumption and fish bones are discarded before the fish flesh hits the retailer, you may substitute fish fillets. The dish won’t be as flavorful but, at least, you’ll have the wonderful sauce to enjoy the fish with.
What variety of fish is ideal? I used white snapper but any firm and fleshy fish is good.
Fresh pineapple went with the white snapper. Canned is simply too cloying. Meanwhile, fresh pineapple has that wonderful sweetness with a hint of tanginess in the background. And that makes it perfect for this dish.
If, in your part of the world, fresh pineapple is hard to come by and there is no reasonable option but to substitute canned, balance the sweetness with a dash of lemon juice.
Updated from a recipe originally published in August 26, 2017
Updated from a recipe originally published in August 26, 2017 Looking for Filipino food?Visit CASA Veneracion for modern twists on favorite classics!
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