Colorful Glazed Whole Yellow Croaker
A classic Chinese dish featuring crispy fried whole yellow croaker topped with a colorful sweet-and-sour sauce, creating an irresistible appetizing aroma and taste.
Ingredients
19 items- Yellow croaker 1 (about 500g)
- Salt 1 tsp
- Shaoxing cooking wine 1 tbsp
- Ginger 3 slices
- Scallions 2 stalks
- Cornstarch 4 tbsp
- All-purpose flour 1 tbsp
- Egg 1
- Green bell pepper 1
- Red bell pepper 1
- Carrot 1/2
- Onion 1/2
- Ketchup 2 tbsp
- Sugar 2 tbsp
- Vinegar (rice or black) 1 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Water as needed
- Water 50 ml
- Cooking oil about 500 ml
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Clean yellow croaker: scale, gut, rinse. Score both sides with three cuts. Rub with salt, wine, ginger and scallion. Marinate 15 min to remove fishiness.
In a bowl, mix 3 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp flour, 1 egg, and some water to a thick smooth batter that coats a chopstick.
Heat oil to 180°C (bubbles form at chopstick tip). Coat fish with batter, slide into oil tail first. Fry over medium heat 8-10 min until golden. Drain.
Dice green/red bell peppers, carrot and onion into small cubes. In a bowl, combine ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch and 50ml water as sauce.
Leave some oil in wok over medium heat. Stir-fry veggie cubes about 2 min until fragrant but still crunchy.
Pour in sauce, turn to high heat and stir quickly until it boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.
Place fried fish on plate. Immediately pour hot sauce over fish – it should sizzle and crackle.
Garnish with chopped scallions and serve at once. Enjoy crispy outside, tender inside with sweet-sour glaze.
Tips
Key tips: ① Coat batter evenly, not too thin or thick. ② Start with high heat to set crust then medium to cook through. ③ Sweet-sour ratio about 2:1 sugar to vinegar; adjust to taste. ④ Prepare sauce while fish fries for best crispy texture.
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