Fish facts/tips/recipes (for Scott)

Scott,

Thanks for the effort for "dissecting" the fish for me!!! ^__^ Also many thanks to Hobbs for his silent effor posting that recipe. (Hobbs is one of the most resourceful people here on TKL.) more ^__^

OK, since I am not sure which one is the exact recipe you are looking for, I am giving you 3 recipes. They are all very similar in the ingredients, only slight variation on method. You could give them a try to see if they are any close. If any of them comes out close, you could modify the recipe to your taste.

I hope this helps. And happy hunting if these aren't what you want.

regards,
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Choosing fish:
Sea Perch is good for fillet. Mainly Autumn - winter. Usually sold in whole. It has white, soft flesh. Delicate, sweet flavor. Excellent eating. Good for frying.
You mentioned Cod. Are you talking about something like Marray Cod/Marray Perch?) This fresh water fish is not a true cod, but belongs to the family of perches. Better leave it for steaming for the very mild taste (or you are wasting the fish.) It has white flesh and medium flakes.
Some people may suggest you trying flounders or carp or trout for deep frying (especially whole). But these are really muddy and grassy in taste. I'd use pomfret, either white or silver. But not the black one from Indonesia. It does not taste nice as the other two.
Other good frying fish will be bream, Spanish mackerel, other perch, blue eye and etc.
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Tip for frying fish:

1. Pat fish dry. rub wine and salt onto fish. SAlt may enhance the coagulation of fish protien.

2. Heat oil in preheated wok and add fish; avoiding turning over immediately. Reduce heat to medium. Lightly shake wok to spread oil around fish and prevent burning. Fry 2 minutes until slightly golden brown and tender; repeat the procedure until done.

3. The frying heat and time are extrememly important. If fried over high leat, fish is liable to burn. While low heat, it may sodden and not become crispy. Over-frying may ruin its taste. Hence, fry over medium heat until slightly golden brown and pierce with a chopstick to test doneness. (If nto sure). Remove right away.
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Fish in spicy vinegar sauce

3/4 lb. fish fillet

marinade:
1T. Chinese cookign wine (Use "salted shao xing cooking wine" from "Zhejiang Province" for best result or other "rice wine". Do not use sherry if possible.)
1/2 t. sat

some topioca flour (do NOT use cornflour.)

sauce:
1 T.(light) soy sauce
1 T. black vinegar
1/2 T each: light sesame oil, sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger root
2 T. chopped green onions
1 hot chili pepper, thinly sliced (amount is optional coz your wife can't take too spicy food.)

Slice the fish into pieces. Rub wine and salt on the fish pieces. Let it stand for about 5 -10 minutes. Rub into some topioca flour before deep-frying.

Heat up enough oil in the wok/pan. Deep fry the fish until crispy and golden.
( NEVER use high heat when fry meats and fish etc. Use med. heat so it will be cooked though. Before taking the fillets out, turn the fire to high for 30 sec. so the oil won't stay inside the flesh and keep it crispy until served.) Drian on paper towel.

Right before serving, pour the sauce mixture over the fish.

**Generally speaking, any fried meats will become slightly soggy once the sauce is poured. So you want to wait until you are serving the dish before you add the sauce.
**Topioca flour /sweet potato flour make fried meats crispier than corn flour. Corn flour can be used in stir-fry, not deep fry.
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Spicy Fried Fih
(Usually used for whole fish, but it can be cooked with fillet as well.)

1 1/3 lb whole fsh/fillet
1/2 t. salt

aromatics:
2 T. chopped green onion
1 T. each: minced garlic, grated ginger root
1 t. hot red chili pepper, thinly sliced

sauce:
1 T. each: soy sauce, black vinegar
1 t. each: suagr, cooking wine
1 T. water

Make 3 slashes on both sides of fish; pat dry. Run salt on fish and marinade 10 min.

Heat 4 T. oil and fry 6 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and turns crispy. REmove. Place on a place

Heat remaining 1 T. oil and stiry fry the aromatics until fragrant. Add the sauce and stir to mix well. Remove and pour over fish and serve immediately.

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Fried fish with ginger sauce
**This sauce is also suittable for serving with other seafoods or with plain fried chicken.

white fish fillets about 1 1/3 lb.
1 t. salt
enough topioca flour to coat the fish

Ginger sauce:
3 T. grated ginger
2 T. sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. light soy sauce
1 T. water
1/2 T. topiocal flour
2 -3 green onion, finely chopped

Prepare & Fry the fish as the above procedure.

Heat the wok and fry the ginger sauce. Stir constantly & quickly. Pour the sauce on the fish when serve.