Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet: 3 Different Recipes

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet

Sweet and sour Fish fillets can be prepared in a variety of ways. Some recipes use pineapple, some use ketchup, and some use a combination of both. Balancing sweetness and sourness is key to an excellent sweet and sour fish fillet.

One popular recipe uses pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, and vinegar to create a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce is then used to coat the fish fillets before they are baked in the oven.

 Traditional Filipino Version of the Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet Recipe

This recipe for sweet and sour fish fillet is delicious and incredibly simple to make. This tasty dish is made with bite-sized fish that has been perfectly golden-fried and tossed in a sweet, acidic, sticky sauce with vibrant bell peppers.

sweet and sour fish 2 730x973 1 Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet: 3 Different Recipes 1
image source: kawalingpinoy.com

Chinese cuisine is the source of most sweet and sour meals, with Hunan, a province in China, credited with producing the first sweet and sour sauce. It was a blend of sugar and mild vinegar. Instead of being cooked, it was initially used as a condiment or dipping sauce for meat and fish.

In the Philippines, cornstarch is combined with water, salt, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and pineapple juice to make agre dulce or sweet and sour sauce. The mixture is typically used as a sarsa for dipping or dousing over meat or fish after being heated until it thickens.

Like the escabeche, whole-fried fish is used in Filipino preparation. In this dish, tilapia fillets are diced into bite-sized pieces, lightly breaded, deep-fried until golden and crisp, and then tossed in the agre dulce, a sweet and tangy sauce with bell peppers, onions, and other seasonings.

Even though whole fish could look better at dinner since there are no problematic heads and bones to pick, this version is simpler to eat.

What you’ll need

  • Fish– The dish calls for meaty and reasonably priced tilapia fillets. The best option is any white fish with firm meat, cod, bass, dory, or catfish.
  • Soy sauce– gives the fish a taste boost by marinating it.
  • Flour and cornstarch– make a crisp, golden crust.
  • Beaten egg it helps in breading the stick.
  • Oil– Use oil that has a neutral taste and a high smoke point, like canola, safflower, grapeseed, or vegetable oil.
  • Bell Peppers adds texture and color. Use a blend of red and green bell peppers for a more colorful presentation.
  • Pineapple Juice adds a fruity sweetness to the sauce.
  • Rice vinegar is a mild and sweet variety created from fermented rice. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar can be used as a replacement.
  • Ketchup– tomato ketchup is used in this recipe. If using banana ketchup (usually sweet), I suggest mixing the ingredients for the sauce together except the sugar and then adding the sugar according to your preference.
  • Brown Sugar– contains molasses and has a less intense sweetness. Adjust the amount of white granulated sugar to taste.
  • Cornstarch– thickens the sauce.
  • Salt and pepper– season to taste

Instructions

1. Fish and soy sauce are combined in a bowl. Refrigerate the marinade for about 30 minutes. Drain well.

2. In a bowl, whisk the egg until frothy.

3. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper to taste in another bowl.

4. Dredge fish fillets in flour mixture, dip in the beaten egg, and then dredge again in flour mixture to thoroughly coat.

5. Heat oil to a depth of about one inch in a pan over medium heat. Add the battered fish fillets and cook when browned and heated, turning once or twice. Use a paper towel to drain after removing it from the pan.

6. In a bowl, combine pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir until smooth.

7. In a pan over medium heat, heat about one tablespoon of oil. Add bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring regularly, until half cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

8. Bring the sauce mixture to a boil in the pan. continue to swirl the pan frequently for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened

9. Add bell peppers and onions and cook for about 1 minute or until tender yet crisp.

10. Add fried fish fillets and cook and toss quickly until coated with sauce. Serve hot.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet Recipe

In China, whole fish is usually offered when making the popular meal of sweet and sour fish. Because the dish is typically presented with an excellent presentation and is taken directly from a live fish tank, it is frequently rather pricey.

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image source: thewoksoflife.com

INGREDIENTS

  • Cod fillet, 12 ounces (340g, rinsed clean, pat dry, and cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • 3 cups canola oil (for frying)
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • One tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
  • ⅔ cup cold seltzer or club soda

FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR FISH FILLET SAUCE:

  • ¼ cup red onion(cut into 1-inch dice)
  • ¼ cup red bell peppers (cut into 1-inch dice)
  • ¼ cup green bell peppers (cut into 1-inch dice)
  • One tablespoon ketchup
  • chunks of canned pineapple, 3/4 cup
  • ¾ cup pineapple juice from the can
  • Red wine vinegar, 2 1/2 tablespoons
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Sugar, two tablespoons
  • Cornstarch, 1 1/2 tablespoons (mixed into a slurry with two tablespoons of water)

SWEET AND SOUR FISH FILLETS: RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

Ensure your fish fillet is clean and pat dry to ensure your fried fish gets crispy— To save oil, heat 3 cups of oil in a small pot to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. A thermometer can measure the temperature or drop a small amount of batter into the oil. The batter shouldn’t immediately start to turn brown. Instead, it should bubble up to the surface and turn a pale golden brown.

To make the batter, mix all the dry ingredients––flour, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, turmeric powder, and white pepper. When ready to fry, combine the cold seltzer water and sesame oil when the batter is smooth. Put the fish fillets into the batter after that. Ensure the batter is well distributed throughout, but let the extra drip off (too much batter on the fish will result in dough balls!). Make sure the fish doesn’t stick to one another as you carefully add each piece to the oil. To prevent overcrowding, cook the fish pieces in batches for three to four minutes or until golden.

Scoop out the fried fish, then move it to a cooling rack over a baking sheet so it can drain. Continue frying the fish until it is all done.

The onions and peppers should then be tossed in a separate wok or skillet with two teaspoons of the frying oil over high heat.

Stir in the ketchup after 30 seconds of stirring. For a deeper flavor in the sweet and sour sauce, cook the ketchup for an additional 20 seconds to bring out the color.

Add the water, salt, sugar, red wine vinegar, and pineapple to the mixture. For two minutes, simmer the liquid at a low temperature.

Slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry while the sweet and sour sauce is still simmering until the sauce can coat a spoon.

If the fried fish fillets have softened by now, you can re-fry them in batches for 30 seconds in oil that has been heated to 400°F. The higher heat is necessary because the oil will quickly cool after adding a larger quantity of fish.

When the fish is cooked, place it in the wok and, using three or four scooping strokes, fold it into the sauce until the pieces are lightly coated. Please plate and serve right away!

Prepare and complete this Chinese Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet Stir-Fry before dinnertime for the best results!

Take pleasure in every mouthful of the delicate, sweet and sour fish fillet.

 Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet

Here is a beautiful sweet and sour fish fillet for those who want to eat fish without the little fish bones. Suppose you can’t get labahita (surgeon fish) or Lapu-Lapu. In that case, you can replace other fish fillets (grouper), such as cream dory or tilapia fillet, with white, delicious flesh.

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image source: panlasangpinoymeatrecipes.com

It’s also relatively simple to prepare this dish. The fish fillet only has to be coated in eggs and bread crumbs before being fried. The sauce only needs to be cooked with a few simple ingredients before being combined with the fish and served hot. To create the sweet and sour sauce, thoroughly mix the cornstarch, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Add the margarine, onion, garlic, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cucumber (optional), and tomato (optional). Cook the mixture over medium heat while continuously stirring until it begins to boil. Pour the sauce over the fried fish fillets after cooking for another 2 minutes or so till it thickens.

Ingredients

For the fish:

  • 2 medium-sized labahita maya-maya or lapu-lapu
  • Japanese breadcrumbs, 1 1/2 to 2 cups
  • cornstarch for coating, 3/4 cup
  • Four calamansi juice extracted
  • Three eggs beaten
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • MSG or granulated seasoning

For the Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet Sauce:

  • One piece of onion quartered
  • One clove of garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. margarine
  • 1/4 cup cucumber cubed
  • One piece of tomato slices
  • One piece of bell pepper sliced

Instructions

How To Cook Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet with 

  • Remove the skin and clean the fish. Cut the fillet into 1-inch crosswise pieces after separating the fish’s meat from its bones.
  • Apply salt, pepper, MSG, and calamansi juice to the sweet and sour fish fillet.
  • Before frying, coat with cornstarch, dip in beaten eggs, and roll in bread crumbs.
  • Deep-fry until golden brown over medium-high heat. Set aside.
  • To make the sauce, thoroughly combine the cornstarch, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan.
  • Add onion, garlic, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and margarine.
  • Stirring often, cook the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  • Pour the sauce over the fried fish fillets after cooking for another 2 minutes until it thickens.
  • Serve hot.

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