Sweet and Sour Sea Bass

Sweet and sour sea bass has a bright red color and is topped with an amber sweet and sour sauce. Whether you are entertaining guests or having a family dinner, this dish instantly elevates the banquet and is definitely the "C position" on the table! It shows the cooking care and sincerity of hospitality. Follow the following 4 key techniques to create delicious dishes with good appearance and taste: 1. Starch selection: Potato starch is used for batter frying. Its characteristics can make the fish body form a thin and crispy shell, giving the dish a rich taste experience. 2. Deodorization: The fishy smell must be effectively removed to ensure that the fish tastes pure and sweet. 3. Ingredient selection: It is recommended to choose sea bass with few bones, thick meat and firm meat, which can not only ensure the convenience and pleasure of eating, but also facilitate the formation of dishes. Of course, you can also choose other suitable fish species according to your personal preferences. 4. Sweet and sour sauce blending: When preparing sweet and sour sauce, try to follow the proportion of the formula.

Ingredients

Steps

Remove the fishy smell from the ingredients (use your hands to rub out the juice + cook and mix) Fish lovers, please take a look
Boil star anise, bay leaves, green and red peppercorns, onions, ginger, salt, and celery in water to remove the fishy smell, then wash and cut them for later use.
Add 300ml of water to the pot, put in step 1 (ingredients that need to be boiled in water to remove the fishy smell), bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, turn off the heat and let cool to make the deodorizing sauce.
Cut ginger into shreds and scallions into sections and set aside.
Put the shredded ginger and green onion into a bowl, add 150ml of water, rub the ginger and green onion repeatedly with your hands, and squeeze out the ginger and green onion juice.
Mix the cooled deodorizing juice with ginger and scallion water, then pour in 50ml of strong liquor (the liquor will be dissolved in the juice and no liquor will remain after deodorizing).
It is best to ask a fishmonger to cut the sea bass. If you cut the fish yourself, wash and drain it, and cut the fish at a moderate depth to make it easier to season and shape it when frying.
Put the chopped sea bass into the mixed deodorizing water, soak each side for 15 minutes (30 minutes in total), remove and drain.
pickling and preparing
Sprinkle a little salt, onion shreds, and white pepper on the fish body and marinate for 15 minutes.
Use kitchen paper to dry the water, remember to drain it a little.
Put 4 spoons of potato starch, 1 spoon of flour and 2 eggs in a bowl and mix into a yogurt-like paste.
Prepare dry starch: Prepare another dish and put a few tablespoons of potato starch aside.
Coat the fish with dry starch first, then with egg paste.
Pour oil into the pot and heat it to 60% (there will be a slight smoke coming out of the oil). At this time, hold the fish head or tail, put the fish into the pot, and use a spoon to scoop hot oil on the fish. After the fish is shaped, put the whole fish into the pot and fry it. Note: 1. Initial frying (shaping): Put the oil into the pot at 60% heat (about 180℃), fry for 5-7 minutes, until the surface is slightly yellow and the fish meat is initially shaped, then take it out. 2. Re-frying (crispy): Raise the oil temperature to 80% heat (about 220℃), return to the pot and fry for 2-3 minutes, until the surface is golden and crispy. Note: Keep the oil temperature stable during frying to avoid the skin being burnt and the inside being undercooked. If there is too little oil or it is difficult to turn over, you can continue to pour hot oil with a spoon.
After the fish is fried, take it out and place it on kitchen paper to drain the oil.
Take a bowl, add 3 spoons of ketchup, 2 spoons of sugar, 2 spoons of white vinegar, 1 spoon of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, then pour in 100ml of water, then stir evenly, and the sweet and sour sauce is ready (you can adjust it according to your personal taste, taste it first after mixing).
Place the fried fish on a plate (I used a small plate 😂), turn on a low heat, put 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot, pour the prepared sweet and sour sauce into it and cook until the sauce is thick and translucent, then pour it on the fish while it is hot to keep the fish skin crispy and taste better. This sweet and sour fish is ready.