Tender inside, golden outside, and delicious all around, these stir-fried golden fish fillets are sure to make your taste buds dance with delight. Coated in a crispy golden crust, the crunch of the perfectly shallow-fried exterior gives way to the succulent, flaky fish within. Each bite is full of rich sesame oil flavour that complements with the fragrant aroma of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, promising a dish that is incredibly flavourful! With hot chilli peppers adding a gentle heat, this dish is sure to be your new favourite way to prepare fish fillets.
Whether you’re a seafood lover or a newcomer to the world of fish dishes, this recipe is guaranteed to elevate your dining experience to new heights. So get ready to savour the taste of savoury goodness with these stir-fried golden fish fillets!
Table of contents
What makes this stir-fried golden fish fillets so good
- Quick and easy: This easy-to-make recipe takes about 20-25 minutes only from start to finish. Simply prepare the seasoned batter, shallow fry the fish fillets, then stir-fry with some spring onions, chillies, soy sauce, and fried garlic, the dish will be ready to serve!
- Aromatic and delicious: As you heat up the wok and cook this dish, the aroma of sizzling fish and the mix of fragrant spices fills up your kitchen, making the dish smell as good as it is delicious!
- Protein-rich and fulfilling: These stir-fried fish fillets are packed with high quality protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. With a comforting medley of tender fish fillets and fragrant spices, this dish not only bursts with savoury goodness, but also a fulfilling dish to enjoy anytime of the week.
Ingredients for stir-fried golden fish fillets
- Fish fillets: The main ingredient of this dish. This recipe uses about 750g fish fillets for 3-4 servings.
- Ginger: This not only helps remove the fish smell but also boosts the aroma of the dish.
- Cornstarch: The key ingredient to make the crispy, crunchy crust for the fish. I soaked the cornstarch with just enough water to thicken it before preparing the batter. This makes the crust even crispier!
- Egg yolk: The key ingredient in the coating batter that creates a golden-brown crisp.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the batter for fish fillets with sesame oil, pepper salt (味椒鹽), and chicken powder, and stir-fried with a dash of soy sauce to make the dish incredibly flavourful!
- Aromatic spices and herbs: This recipe uses some chopped spring onions, hot chilli peppers, and deep fried garlic to enhance the fragrance and aroma of the dish.
How to make stir-fried golden fish fillets
- Prepare the coating batter by mixing chicken powder, cornstarch, egg yolk, and sesame oil.
- Add in fish fillets and season with a few pinches of pepper salt. Mix until the fish fillets are thoroughly coated with the batter.
- In a wok, heat a few dashes of oil over medium-high heat. Place the fish fillets side-by-side and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip the fish fillets, add in ginger, and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Transfer the fish fillets to a strainer, and set aside.
- In the same wok, heat some oil over medium-high heat, then add in spring onions and hot chilli peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant.
- Transfer the fish fillets back to the wok, pour in a dash of soy sauce, and stir-fry quickly until the colours are even. This takes about 30 seconds.
- Add in deep-fried garlic, then stir-fry to mix well. Again, this takes about 30 seconds.
How to remove fish smell
Soak the fish fillets with cornstarch and a pinch of salt in water.
To remove fish smell, you can mix the fish fillets with cornstarch and salt, and soak them in water for 5 minutes. Then, thoroughly rinse the fish and drain any excess water.
Stir-fry with ginger.
Ginger not only enhances the flavour of the fish dish, but also helps remove the unpleasant fish odour! I used about 8 slices of ginger for this recipe.
Success tips for making tender fish fillets with a crispy golden-brown crust
Soak the cornstarch with just enough water for a crispier crust.
This allows the cornstarch to absorb water and thicken it, making the crust even crispier and allows the batter to stick more tightly to the fish fillets. Simply soak the cornstarch with an amount of water that is just enough to touch all surfaces. As it dries, the cornstarch will become lumpy, and this will be done.
Flip the fish fillets once as you shallow fry them.
This prevents the moisture and juice in the fish fillets from losing, so be sure to flip them once only to produce tender and juicy fish. Flipping multiple times may also run a risk of breaking the fish fillets!
Do not overcook the fish fillets.
To ensure the fish fillets are tender and juicy inside, do not overcook the fish fillets from the beginning, as you’ll be stir-frying them with other spices and herbs at a later step. Be sure to stir-fry quickly to mix all ingredients well, so the entire cooking process shouldn’t take more than 5-6 minutes.
Make sure the wok is fully heated in advance.
You’ll need enough strength and intensity of heat when cooking in a wok to bring out the flavours of the food. This is known as “wok hei” 鑊氣 in Chinese. With enough heat, the fish fillets won’t stick to the wok. Also, the high heat cooks the exterior of fish fillets more quickly than their interior, producing a golden-brown crisp while tender within.
How long do these fish fillets last?
These fish fillets can only last for a day as this recipe uses fresh fish. So be sure to eat this dish on the same day.
Golden-crisp outside, tender and flaky inside, these fish fillets are stir-fried together with an aromatic mix of everyday ingredients. If you’re looking for a quick and easy meal, this dish is sure to please!
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Stir-Fried Golden Fish Fillets
Ingredients
- 750 g fish fillets
- 8 slices of ginger
- spring onions chopped into 1-inch lengths
- 1 hot chilli pepper chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp deep fried minced garlic
For the batter
- 1 tsp chicken powder
- 80 g cornstarch soaked in water
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- About 1/2 tsp pepper salt
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak the cornstarch with just enough water that touches all surfaces. This thickens the cornstarch, creating a crisper crust that sticks more tightly to the fish fillets when shallow fried!
- Season the fish fillets with some additional dry cornstarch and salt. Mix well, and soak in water for 5 minutes. Thoroughly rinse the fish fillets and drain. This step helps remove the fish smell.
Make the batter
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken powder, white pepper, cornstarch, egg yolk, and sesame oil.
- Transfer the fish fillets to the bowl and season with pepper salt. Mix well.
Cook the fish fillets
- In a wok, heat some oil over medium-high heat. Place the fish fillets side-by-side and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip the fish fillets once, add in ginger, and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Transfer the fish fillets to a strainer, and set aside.
- In the same wok, heat some oil over medium-high heat, then add in spring onions and hot chilli peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant.
- Transfer the fish fillets back to the wok, add in soy sauce, and stir-fry quickly to mix well (about 30 seconds).
- Add in deep-fried minced garlic, and stir-fry to mix well (about 30 seconds).