Crispy Fish in Pineapple Sauce

I know, I know, fish has a very distinct smell! This dish requires a little bit of attention. I love red snapper but the other fish you can use is tilapia or any white fish. Basically, you can fry any fish you like and make this awesome pineapple sauce. Be very careful frying a whole fish in very hot oil. Watch for oil splatters! If you’re not comfortable frying in hot oil, you can also bake a fish. I’ve baked fish many times before and it turned out delicious also.

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Steps for preparing and frying the fish

1. Clean the fish. Ask the seafood counter personnel if they can clean the fish for you, remove the gills too. Cut some slits on the skin, this way it can get coated with all the flavorings.
2. I used garlic powder, onion powder, red chili pepper flakes, and salt for my seasonings. Rub the fish with it, on the skin and inside.
3. Dredge the fish in flour, shake off excess flour.
4. Heat a wide deep pan or a wok with oil. When the oil is hot enough, slide the fish into the pan. Please keep the kids away from the hot pan, and be very careful with oil splatters. 
5. When the fish turn golden brown on one side, carefully flip it with a spider ladle and any type of spatula but preferably a wooden spatula. Set aside. Meantime, make the sauce. 

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Crispy Fish in Pineapple Sauce

Jen Paleracio

Deep-fried crispy red snapper in sweet and tangy pineapple sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese, Filipino, Japanese

Equipment

• Wok or wide deep pan
• Spider ladle
• Wooden spoon or any cooking spatula
• knife
• cutting board

Ingredients

  

• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, deseed, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 inch-sized ginger, minced
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons oil for sauteeing, more for frying
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• flour for dredging

FOR THE SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

FOR THE RUB

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

Instructions

 

• Clean the fish, remove the gills and scales. Cut slits on the skin to absorb more of the seasonings. Combine garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and red chili pepper flakes, rub the fish with seasonings outside and inside.
• Dredge the fish into flour. Heat a wide deep pan with oil (enough oil for deep frying). Make sure the oil is hot enough (to check if the oil is hot, dip the wooden spoon into it and when you see bubbles on the tip of the wooden spoon, the oil is ready).
• Carefully slide the whole fish into the hot oil (be careful with oil splatters). Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Carefully flip the fish using a spider ladle and a wooden spoon for even browning. Set aside.
• Make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients. Dissolve the cornstarch in pineapple juice. Heat a clean pan with oil, add the onion, garlic, and ginger, saute for a minute or until aromatic.
• Add the rest of the veggies except green onions. Saute for a minute or until the veggies are slightly tender (but still a bit crispy). Add the sauce and the pineapple mixture, simmer, keep stirring until the sauce thickened.
• Pour the sauce over the cooked fish. Sprinkle green onions, serve with steamed rice.

Notes

• Pick a fresh fish. Check for clear eyes, and a not-so-strong fishy smell, it should smell fresh in the ocean (if possible). 
• Be very careful when flipping the fish while frying. You want to retain a nice shape of the fish and not break them into pieces. Use a nice kitchen tool like tongs, spider ladle, or wooden spoon to help aid when flipping the fish. 
• Use a wide deep pan or wok when deep frying. 
• Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the fish into the pan. Use a wooden spoon dipping method for testing oil if it’s hot enough. 
• I like using fresh pineapple as suppose to the canned ones. The fresh ones retain their firm shape when cooking versus the canned ones. 

Keyword cooking, meal planning, meal preppping, pineapple sauce, red snapper, seafood

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ABOUT JEN

Hi there, nice to meet you! Welcome to my virtual home. I’m Jen. I’m a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. Read more…