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Made With Lau
香煎全魚

Pan-fried Whole Fish

✍️ Published Mar 2025, Updated Nov 2026
Prep
40 min
Cook
15 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4

This is a classic saucy Chinese whole fish, an appropriate showstopper for holidays and feasts!

Pan-fried Whole Fish (香煎全魚)

Cooking Summary

Ingredients: (detailed list)

  • Main Ingredients: whole fish, red pepper, red onion, white onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, green onion, cooking oil, cooking wine
  • Sauce: Kikkoman® light soy sauce, Kikkoman® oyster sauce, Kikkoman® tamari, cooking wine, white pepper, sugar, salt, water, cornstarch
  • Fish Seasoning: white pepper, salt, cornstarch

Steps:

  1. Cut ingredients
  2. Make sauce
  3. Prep fish
  4. Pan-fry fish
  5. Cook sauce

Top 3 Mistakes:

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Overview

This is a classic saucy Chinese whole fish, an appropriate showstopper for holidays and feasts!

Thank you, Kikkoman!

This recipe is brought to you in part by Kikkoman. My dad has been using Kikkoman flavors throughout his 50-year career as a chef, and it's a privilege to get to partner with them on such a popular recipe, Mongolian beef!

  • Kikkoman products are a major flavor enhancer and bring out the “umami” taste, and helps balance and round out flavors
  • Kikkoman® Less Sodium Soy Sauce is perfect for home cooks who are looking to cut down on their sodium levels, without sacrificing flavor
  • Kikkoman offers wide range of Gluten-Free Asian sauces, including Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce and Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
  • The KikkomanUSA.com Chinese site offers easy Asian recipes that home cooks can enjoy any night of the week

You can learn more about Kikkoman and follow them on social media here:

Why this recipe

The story
Pan-fried Whole Fish (香煎全魚) — Daddy Lau
Daddy Lau

Most pan-fried whole fish recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.

Ingredients

Serves4
Main Ingredients
(just the green part)
Sauce
(dark soy sauce also works)
(optional)
(for cornstarch slurry)
Fish Seasoning

How to make Pan-fried Whole Fish

5 steps
1

Dice red pepper (1 oz), red onion (1 oz), white onion (1 oz) + shallot (½ oz) into small pieces.

Trim the ends of garlic cloves (3 clove), cut into slices.

Cut ginger (½ oz) into small triangular pieces.

Cut green parts of green onion (2 pieces) into small pieces.

How each knife cut changes your food
LESSON 3.3
How each knife cut changes your food
Dive Deeper →
2

In a bowl, combine light soy sauce (1 Tbsp), oyster sauce (1 Tbsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), cooking wine (1 Tbsp), white pepper powder (¼ tsp), sugar (1 tsp), salt (1 tsp) + water (3 Tbsp).

In another bowl, create a cornstarch slurry with cornstarch (½ tsp) and water (3 Tbsp).

3

With our whole fish (1 lb), use scissors to cut off pectoral fins, pelvic fins and dorsal fins.

Using a knife, make 4 to 5 angled cuts across the fish on both sides.

Sprinkle white pepper (2 tsp) powder all over the fish, including the cuts + inside of the fish. Repeat with salt (½ tsp), set aside.

4

Heat wok on high heat. Coat both sides of fish with cornstarch (2 tsp).

When wok is hot enough, add oil (1 Tbsp). Carefully lower fish into wok, sear bottom side for 2 mins on medium heat.

When bottom side has developed a nice crust, use spatula to flip fish onto other side, cook for another 2 mins. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, add cooking wine (1 Tbsp), immediately cover wok with lid.

Allow steam to finish cooking fish for 1 minute on medium-low heat.

Uncover wok, flip fish over, continue to cook on medium heat for a final 45 seconds.

Pick up fish with spatula, let excess oil drain before transferring onto serving plate.

5

Heat wok on high, add oil (2 Tbsp) when the wok is hot enough.

Reduce heat to medium, cook ginger, garlic + shallots until fragrant, about 45 secs.

Add both peppers + onions into wok, cook for 20 secs.

Increase heat to medium-high, add cooking wine (1 Tbsp) + sauce, stir constantly for 30 secs.
Reduce heat to low, mix and pour the slurry into wok slowly while stirring constantly.

Cook until the consistency is your liking.

Pour the sauce over the fish, or transfer it to a bowl to add just before serving.

Top 3 Mistakes

  • Adding thickener too fast:

    Add the starch mixture gradually while stirring, checking the texture as it thickens. Pouring it all in at once gives you less control over the final consistency of the sauce.

  • Burning the garlic early:

    Watch the aromatics closely once they hit the hot oil. Follow the recipe’s heat and timing, moving on when they become fragrant rather than letting them turn dark and bitter.

  • Ignoring the oil temperature:

    Check the oil using the recipe’s heat guidance before adding the ingredients. Oil that is too cool or too hot changes how quickly the food cooks and how evenly the surface browns.