Serve Pan Fried Sweet and Sour Whole Fish for Abundance and Prosperity

This Pan Fried Sweet and Sour Whole Fish is layered with flavors, and so easy to make. Serve it on Chinese New Year's Eve or any time you have the hankering for some delectable fish.

Plus, it is a great dish for Meatless Monday or Lenten Fridays or for anyone looking to add more fish into their diet.

Whole Fish for Chinese New Year

This dish is perfect for Chinese New Year. The sweet and sour flavor represents love and passion combined while the word for fish, “yu” in China has the same sound of the word “abundance and prosperity”.

What kind of fish should you use for Fried Whole Fish?

You can use any type of whole white fish you’d like for this recipe such as tilapia, sea bass or cod. Unless, you want to scale the fish yourself, try to find one that is labeled as “dressed.”

For CNY you want the head still on for luck. Other times of the year you can have it removed. Save the head and boil it with some water for fish stock. I apologize if you now have the song "Fish Heads" stuck in your head.

Recipe

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Ingredients

 

Fish Ingredients:

• 1-2 whole fish (tilapia, sea bass or rock cod) (dressed )
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• ¼ cup cornstarch (approximately)
• Vegetable oil

Sauce Ingredients:

• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1½ tablespoons ketchup
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon chili oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water)

Topping:

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 or 3 carrots (cut in ¼ inch slivers)
• 2 green onions (cut in 1 inch pieces)

Instructions

 

• Make 3-4 cuts on each side of the fish, about an inch a part. Make sure to reach the bone. Rub the fish all over and into the cuts with rice vinegar and salt. Now, dip the fish into the beaten eggs and then rub with cornstarch to cover. Let stand for a few minutes.
• Heat a large frying pan with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is wide enough to fit your fish. Once it’s heated, cook fish for about 6 minutes per side, ensuring it’s cooked all the way through.
• While the fish is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except cornstarch mixture, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Remove the fish and set on a serving plate once it’s done. 
• Stir fry the ginger, carrots and onion for about a minute or so, until tender. Top the fish with sauce and vegetables and serve.

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