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
- ¾ cup sweet chili sauce
- ½ 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.