Sweet and Sour Fish
A seafood twist on the classic Chinese-American dish.
Cooking Summary
Ingredients: (detailed list)
- Main Ingredients: sole fish filet, salt, pineapple, onion, red bell pepper, corn oil, oil
- Batter Ingredients: all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, ice water, oil
- Sauce Ingredients: rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sugar, water
- Slurry Ingredients: sugar, potato starch, water
- Marinade Ingredients: cornstarch, white pepper, egg yolk
Steps:
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Overview
Sweet and Sour Fish (糖醋魚柳) is another variation on the classic Chinese-American dish we all know and love. It features crispy, flaky pieces of sole filet smothered in an irresistible sweet and sour sauce. My dad will walk you though all the nuances of prepping and frying fish to golden-brown perfection. If you're a fan of Sweet and Sour Pork or Sweet and Sour Chicken, you'll love this twist!
Why this recipe
Most sweet and sour 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.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 120.2K views, 2.4K likes on YouTube.
Ingredients
How to make Sweet and Sour Fish
Cut the tail end off of the fish (16 oz). Then, going with the grain, divide the rest of the filet into four 2-inch wide pieces. Slice each piece at an angle across the grain into four 1-inch wide pieces.
Place the fish in a bowl, add the salt (2 tsp), gently mix and set aside.
Cut the pineapple (2 oz) into large chunks. For step-by-step instructions, check out our video and blog on How to Cut a Pineapple.
Cut the onion (2 oz) into triangular chunks.
Cut the red bell pepper (2 oz) into triangular chunks.
To a bowl, add the all-purpose flour (3 Tbsp), cornstarch (1 Tbsp), baking powder (½ tsp), salt (½ tsp) and ice water (4½ Tbsp) in a bowl. Mix to thoroughly combine. When the consistency is right, add the oil (1 tsp) and mix again.
(Chef's Tip: My dad uses ice water for the batter when it's hot outside so it doesn't activate the baking powder as quickly. If it's cooler outside, you can use room-temperature water.)
Make the sauce. To a small bowl, add the rice wine vinegar (3 Tbsp), ketchup (4 Tbsp), sugar (6 Tbsp) and water (2 Tbsp). Mix to thoroughly combine.
For the slurry, combine the potato starch (1 tsp) and water (1 Tbsp) and mix until the starch has dissolved.
Rinse and dry the fish three times, then drain.
Dry the fish thoroughly. Place the pieces between two sheets of paper towels, then roll and gently squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. Repeat this step with fresh paper towels until the fish is thoroughly dried, then transfer the pieces to a large bowl.
Push the fish to one side of the bowl. To the other side, add the cornstarch (1 Tbsp), salt and white pepper.
Crack an egg and separate the yolk from the white. Add the yolk to the marinade and mix it together (Keep the egg white and use it for something else!). Thoroughly mix together, then massage fish thoroughly with the marinade.
Heat a wok on high. When the middle of the wok is starting to turn white and smoke, pour the oil (12 oz) into the wok.
While waiting for the oil to come up to 330°F, add the marinated fish to the batter. Mix the fish and batter by hand to coat every piece.
When the oil is hot enough, reduce the heat to low and carefully lower the fish into the wok one piece at a time.
(Chef's Tip: If you don't have a thermometer, you can test if the oil is hot enough by adding in a small bit of batter. If it starts to bubble and fry, the oil is ready.)
Deep fry fish on medium heat until they float and take on a light brown color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use chopsticks to gently separate any pieces that get stuck together.
Use a spider strainer to remove the fried fish from the wok. If your wok is on the smaller side, fry in batches and repeat the same steps until you've cooked all of the fish.
Increase the heat to high to bring the oil up to a temp of 390°F.
Once it reaches temperature, lower the fish into the wok and fry until golden brown, about 30 to 40 seconds.
Turn the stove off, use the spider strainer to take out the fish, letting the excess oil drip back into the wok. Place the fish on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Immediately transfer the onion and red bell pepper to the spider and lower into the still-hot oil. Fry for a quick 25 seconds, then remove from the oil and set aside.
Pour the leftover oil into a heat-proof container and use it to cook other dishes.
Use a clean paper towel to wipe the wok and get rid of any small fried bits.
Pour the sweet and sour sauce into the wok and turn the heat to medium-low. Add a bit of water here to “rinse” the sauce off the bowl and pour it into the wok.
When the sauce begins to simmer, stir and give it a taste. Reduce the heat to low and adjust flavors, if needed. My dad adds more sugar (1 Tbsp) here.
Stir the bowl of slurry. With the heat on low, slowly pour half of the slurry into the wok while stirring the sauce constantly.
Add the vegetables and pineapple. Increase the heat to high and stir fry. At this point, the sauce may not be thick enough, so add more of the slurry, if needed.
Turn off the heat, add the oil (1 tsp) for some shine.
Add the fish and stir to coat all the pieces with the sauce.
Serve and enjoy!
Top 3 Mistakes
- Saucing the food too early:
Keep the cooked pieces separate until the recipe’s final sauce step. Combining them too early gives the coating more time to soften before the dish reaches the table.
- 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.
- Slicing meat with the grain:
Cut across the visible muscle fibers rather than along them. Following the recipe’s slicing direction makes the pieces easier to chew and helps keep the finished meat tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why other kinds of fish can be used?
Any kind of firm white fish, such as cod can be used, as long as it's not too thin since it needs to hold up to frying. You can also fry a whole fish and pair it with this sauce.
What's in sweet and sour sauce?
Sweet and sour sauce is made of a handful of ingredients that give the sauce its signature flavor, such as vinegar, ketchup and sugar. My dad has made a few variations of it, sometimes using red vinegar and other times using rice vinegar.
Can you prevent the fish from getting soggy?
Fish naturally contains a lot of water and, when combined with sauce, it'll inevitably get soft. Your best bet is to eat the dish as soon as possible so the pieces of fish don't get too soggy, or to serve the sauce on the side for dipping to maintain the crispiness.
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Made with love ❤️
We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.