If you haven’t caught on yet, I have embarked on a cooking adventure with the aim of:
- Creating better versions of older recipes; or
- Creating non-traditional dishes using components of traditional ones.
You’ll get it in time. But if you’re curious and want to know more about the new direction I’m taking with this blog, you can read the newsletter that I sent out to subscribers last Wednesday. Sign up if you want to be in the loop ahead of others.
There is a recipe for crispy fish fillets with lime orange sauce in the archive that is over 14 years old. It’s good but this one is really better. Two reasons:
The cooking process for the fish is easier and definitely less messy. Instead of coating the fish with batter before frying, in this new recipe, you just have to toss the fillets in potato starch. Think of Japanese chicken karaage. No batter, just potato starch, but the crust that forms on the surface of the fried food is delightfully light and crisp.
The second reason is the cooking method for the sauce. Instead of thickening it with starch, you create a syrup by boiling citrus juices with sugar. The flavor is intense and the texture is better. The best part is that as it cools, it forms another layer of crunch around the fish fillets. Think of caramelized sugar, but balanced by the adicity of the lime and orange juices, and highly aromatic because of the addition of lime and orange zests.
Ingredients
Fish
- 500 grams skinless mahi-mahi fillet (a little over one pound) or substitute another firm and fleshy fish
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce
- zest from one orange
- zest from one lime
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frying
- 4 to 6 tablespoons potato starch (please don't substitute all-purpose flour or cornstarch)
- cooking oil for deep frying
To serve
- 1 to 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions or use green onions
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Season the fish
- Press the mahi-mahi fillet between stacks of paper towels to remove surface moisture.
- Cut the fish fillet into slices and toss with salt and pepper.
Cook the sauce
- Dump all the ingredients for the sauce into a small pan and set over high heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully melted, the liquid has reduced by half and the sauce has thickened (see notes).
Fry the mahi-mahi
- In a wok or fryer, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least three inches.
- Toss the seasoned mahi-mahi with the potato starch making sure every inch of the surface of every piece is coated with starch.
- Over high heat (350F to 375F if using a thermometer), fry the fish until a crust forms on the surface (see notes).
Assemble the dish
- Scoop out the fish and move to a platter or shallow bowl.
- Drizzle the lime and orange sauce over the fish.
- Garnish with scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
