Fried Whole Fish With Shiitake, Black Beans and Chili Sauce
This Chinese-style fried whole fish with shiitake, black beans and chili sauce was cooked by combining two Lee Kum Kee sauces. No, this is NOT a sponsored post. I just happen to be a fan of Lee Kum Kee products.
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish about 800 grams in weight, gutted and scaled (see notes after the recipe)
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 to 4 cups cooking oil for deep frying
- 3 to 4 stalks scallions thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper roughly chopped
- 4 to 5 shiitake mushrooms (caps only) thinly sliced
- 1 heaping tablespoon black bean garlic sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee)
- 1 heaping tablespoon chili garlic sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee)
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch , or corn or potato starch
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Rinse the fish. Pat dry with paper towels. Score both sides and rub with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour on both sides.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan until smoke floats on the surface.
- Plunge the floured fish into the hot oil. Cook over high heat for five minutes.
- Flip the fish over and cook for another four minutes.
- Scoop out and arrange on a serving plate.
- Pour off the oil from the wok or frying pan, leaving only about a tablespoonful. Reheat the oil.
- Saute the white and light green portions of the scallions, bell pepper and mushrooms with salt and pepper for about half a minute.
- In a bowl, stir together the black bean garlic sauce, chili garlic sauce, grated ginger, sugar, tapioca starch and sesame seed oil with 1 and 1/4 cups water.
- Pour the mixture into the pan. Cook, stirring, until no longer cloudy. Simmer for two to three minutes.
- Pour the sauce and vegetables over the fish.
- Garnish with the dark green portion of the scallions.
- Serve the Chinese-style fried whole fish with shiitake black beans and chili sauce at once. Best with rice on the side.
Notes
Any firm and fleshy fish is good for this recipe.
Updated from a recipe originally published in September 8, 2017
