Salt and Pepper Fish (Chinese style)
Tasty crispy fried fish topped with aromatic garlic, ginger & chilli. This Chinese-inspired Salt and Pepper Fish is simple to create at home
Ingredients
- 2 x 500gm whole fish (cleaned, scaled & gutted) (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup cornflour/cornstarch (may need more or less)
- vegetable oil for frying (or peanut/canola oil)
For the spice rub
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder (NOTE 2)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the spring onion and chilli topping
- 2 tbsp oil (leftover oil used for frying fish)
- 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp of finely grated ginger
- 1 large green chilli (thinly sliced) (NOTE 3)
- 1 large red chilli (thinly sliced) (NOTE 3)
- 2 stalks of spring onions (scallions/green onions, thinly sliced)
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the spice rub - Mix the five spice powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pat the entire fish dry with paper towels, then slash the fish diagonally to the bone 4 to 5 times on each side. Rub the fish with the spice rub, covering the entire fish and in between the slashed flesh. Coat the fish in flour, then shake off the excess flour.
- Use a frying pan large enough to fit the entire fish, then pour enough oil to generously cover the base of the pan. Heat oil in the pan over medium-high until it reaches approximately 180°C (356°F). You could also use a wooden object such as a chopstick, skewer or wooden spoon to test the oil. Place the wooden object in the oil, and if the oil sizzles and bubble around it, then it's hot enough to fry.
- Fry each fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until crispy (it may need longer if the fish is large). Before removing the fish, allow excess oil to drip back into the pan, then transfer the fish onto a wire rack.
- For the spring onion and chilli topping - Heat oil in a small pan over medium-high heat (use leftover oil from frying the fish). Place in the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for a minute. Add in the green and red chillies and stir for a minute, then add in the spring onions, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until the spring onions and chillies have slightly wilted. Place the chillies and green onions over the fried fish and serve immediately with warm rice.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Whole fish - Use firm white fish such as snapper, bream, barramundi, or perch. Your fishmonger should be happy to gut, scale and clean the fish for you. If you have a large enough frying pan, you could get an entire fish that weighs approximately 1kg (2.2lb). If not, purchase 2 fish weighing around 500gms each (1.1lb).
(NOTE 2) Chinese five spice powder is an aromatic mix of ground spices used in many Chinese dishes. Five spice powders may include a combination of cinnamon, clove, star anise, fennel, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns. Supermarkets usually stock their five spice powder in racks, amongst other herbs and spices.
(NOTE 3) Large green and red chillies - I used green and red cayenne chillies. They're moderately spicy, so remove the seeds to lessen the heat.
Leftovers - Allow the fish to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them into a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 0.2mgSodium: 1350mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg