The Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish is a simple yet remarkable dish that offers a delightful explosion of flavors, inviting us on a flavorful journey through its nuanced taste and aroma. It is a delightful journey that begins with the selection of the freshest ingredients and ends with a mouth-watering dish that will leave you craving for more.
To start, you’ll need a whole fish which is about 500 g (I use Golden Pomfret fish for this recipe), cleaned the fish and dried with kitchen towels to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle the fish with half a teaspoon of fine salt and let it marinate for about 15 minutes to enhance its flavour. Next, coat the fish evenly with one tablespoon of cornstarch, ensuring that every inch is covered for that crispy texture.
Preheat about 350-400 grams of oil in a non-stick wok until it reaches a temperature of around 180°C/356°F. Carefully place the coated fish into the hot oil, fry the fish between medium-low to medium heat for approximately 17-18 minutes, or until it turns a beautiful golden brown colour. As the fish fries, adjust the heat to maintain a steady temperature, ensuring that it cooks evenly on all sides. Towards the end of the frying process, turn up the heat slightly to medium-high. Once the fish is golden brown and cooked through, carefully remove it from the oil using a strainer ladle, allowing any excess oil to drain off.
CHINESE VERSION: 姜葱酱油鱼
After frying the fish, prepare the sauce. Ginger, shallot, and garlic are the key ingredients, each adding its distinct aroma and flavour to create a rich and complex dish. Ginger adds a warm and lively flavor to the dish. As it cooks in the wok, it brings out hints of spiciness, citrus, and floral sweetness, giving the sauce a lively kick that wakes up your taste buds. Shallots are mild but strong
in flavor, bringing a sweet yet slightly sharp taste that goes well with the fish. When cooked until golden brown, they release a caramelized flavour that makes the sauce rich and savory, giving it extra depth and richness. Garlic is a must-have in cooking. When it cooks in the pan, it gives off a strong smell and adds a bold flavor to the sauce. It balances out the sweetness of the shallots with
its own sharp taste. It may not be noticed much, but it’s really important for the dish’s overall taste.
Light soy sauce is another key ingredient; it’s made from fermented soybeans and wheat, giving it a mix of flavors like salty, umami-rich, slightly sweet, and tangy. When added to the hot wok, light soy sauce gives the sauce a rich and deep taste, making the dish even more flavorful. Its taste blends well with the ginger, shallot, and garlic, creating a delicious combination of flavors that you can still taste even after you’ve finished eating.
In the Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish recipe, tomato and scallion bring a burst of flavor and colour. Tomato adds a refreshing touch to the dish, balancing out the sauce’s richness with their sweet and acidic taste. As they cook in the wok, their bright red color adds a lively pop to the sauce, making it visually appealing. Scallion gives the dish a subtle onion flavor and a fresh herbal taste. They provide a nice contrast to the savory fish and sauce, making the flavors blend together perfectly.
Making Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish taste great is a balancing act. Adding a bit of sugar to the sauce ensures that all the flavors blend well together—sweet, savory, and tangy—making it taste just the way you want. To make sure the sauce feels good in your mouth too, potato starch is used. When mixed with water, it thickens the sauce, making it smooth and silky. Plus, it helps the sauce stick nicely to the crispy fish, making every bite delicious.
Pour the sauce over the perfectly fried Golden Pomfret just before serving. Whether enjoyed as a comforting family meal or presented as a special dish for guests, the Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish promises to be a culinary masterpiece that tantalizes the taste buds. The fragrant aroma of ginger, the subtle sweetness of shallots, and the savoury richness of soy sauce come together to create a symphony of flavors that harmonize perfectly with the delicate taste of the Golden Pomfret. Each bite is a journey of discovery, as the crispy texture gives way to the tender flesh, while the sauce adds depth and complexity to the overall experience.
Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish | MyKitchen101en
Serve: 5
Ingredients:
- 500 g Golden Pomfret fish (cleaned)
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (for coating)
Ingredients for sauce:
- 2 ½ tbsps cooking oil
- 30 g shallot (sliced)
- 20 g ginger (julienned)
- 15 g garlic (chopped)
- 2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 135 g (9 tbsps) plain water
- 2 tsps sugar
- 1 pc (80 g) tomato (cut into wedges)
- ½ pc (15 g) red chili (sliced)
- 1 stalk (15 g) scallion (cut into 2″ length)
- 1 tsp potato starch
Directions for Cooking Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish:
1 Dry cleaned fish with kitchen towels. Make a cut on each side of the fish. Then, coat the fish with salt and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. Coat the fish with cornstarch before deep-frying.
2 Preheat about 350-400 g of cooking oil to about 180°C/356°F in a non-stick wok, deep-fry fish between medium-low to medium heat for 17-18 minutes (turn the fish for a few times for an even frying), until golden brown. Turn to medium-high heat before removing deep-fried fish from oil. Put the fish on strainer ladle to drain off the oil.
3 Preheat 2 ½ tbsps of cooking oil, add in sliced shallot and julienned ginger, cook until fragrant and lightly browned. Add in chopped garlic, cook until fragrant.
4 Add in 2 tbsps of light soy sauce, let it sizzle in the hot wok.
5 Combine 135 g of plain water and 2 tsps of sugar, add about ⅔ portion into the wok, bring to the boil.
6 Add in tomato, chili and scallion, bring to the boil, cook until tomato is softened.
7 Add 1 tsp of potato starch to the remaining ⅓ portion of water, mix well. Add slaked potato starch to the sauce, cook until thickened. Transfer cooked sauce to a bowl.
8 Pour the sauce over the perfectly fried fish just before serving.
More Home Cooked Dish recipes: Stir-Fry Dark Soy Sauce Pork Belly, Stir-Fry Red Bean Curd Pork Belly, Spicy Sambal Squid (Sambal Sotong)
Ginger Shallot Soy Sauce Fish
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Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 500 g Golden Pomfret fish cleaned
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch for coating
Ingredients for sauce:
- 2 ½ tbsps cooking oil
- 30 g shallot sliced
- 20 g ginger julienned
- 15 g garlic chopped
- 2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 135 g 9 tbsps plain water
- 2 tsps sugar
- 1 pc 80 g tomato (cut into wedges)
- ½ pc 15 g red chili (sliced)
- 1 stalk 15 g scallion (cut into 2″ length)
- 1 tsp potato starch
Instructions
Directions:
- Dry cleaned fish with kitchen towels. Make a cut on each side of the fish. Then, coat the fish with salt and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. Coat the fish with cornstarch before deep-frying.
- Preheat about 350-400 g of cooking oil to about 180°C/356°F in a non-stick wok, deep-fry fish between medium-low to medium heat for 17-18 minutes (turn the fish for a few times for an even frying), until golden brown. Turn to medium-high heat before removing deep-fried fish from oil. Put the fish on strainer ladle to drain off the oil.
- Preheat 2 ½ tbsps of cooking oil, add in sliced shallot and julienned ginger, cook until fragrant and lightly browned. Add in chopped garlic, cook until fragrant.
- Add in 2 tbsps of light soy sauce, let it sizzle in the hot wok.
- Combine 135 g of plain water and 2 tsps of sugar, add about ⅔ portion into the wok, bring to the boil.
- Add in tomato, chili and scallion, bring to the boil, cook until tomato is softened.
- Add 1 tsp of potato starch to the remaining ⅓ portion of water, mix well. Add slaked potato starch to the sauce, cook until thickened. Transfer cooked sauce to a bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the perfectly fried fish just before serving.
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