Sweet and sour fish is a popular Asian dish made with a mildly spicy bittersweet sauce poured over breaded and fried fish. The sauce is made with tomato sauce, chili sauce, or ketchup, and includes ingredients like peppers, garlic, onions, pineapples, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. The dish can be garnished with onions, carrots, ginger, or coriander leaves and can be served with rice.
Sweet and Sour Fish uses a popular Asian sauce to complement cooked fish, usually breaded. The sauce, called bittersweet, normally has a mildly spicy taste. Although the sauce is normally poured over fish, it can also be used for dipping. Very varied, the recipes for sweet and sour fish differ in the ingredients for both the sauce and the fish.
Halibut or sea bass are common choices for sweet and sour fish, but any type of fish can be used. Normally whole fresh fish is chosen, but fillets can be substituted. When whole fish is chosen, it must be gutted and scaled before cooking. The fish is usually breaded and fried, but can be simply steamed.
Flour, tapioca starch, or cornstarch are often used in breading. The breading may consist of little more than flour, but often includes salt and pepper or other spices. Typically, the fish is cut into strips, coated in beaten egg, and then dredged in the flour mixture until covered. Once breaded, the fish is fried in oil.
Alternatively, the fish can be kept whole and scored. Seasonings are placed in the score and on the rest of the meat. Then, the meat can be sprinkled with flour or starch or lightly breaded. After sprinkling, the fish is fried in oil.
Sometimes referred to as gravy, sweet and sour sauce is often made with tomato sauce, chili sauce, or ketchup. Red or green peppers, garlic, onions and pineapples are often included. Rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger are usually also found in the sauce. Sugar is essential, but the type of sugar varies. Dark brown is used most frequently, but white can be used instead, and some versions combine palm sugar with brown sugar.
To make sweet and sour fish sauce, onions and garlic are normally fried in oil, then spices are added and cooked until fragrant. Subsequently, tomato sauce, pineapple juice, sugar and water or vinegar are mixed. Alternatively, the vinegar and sugar can be heated until the sugar dissolves, then the spices can be included.
The completed sauce can be poured over the cooked fish before serving or can be served on the side for dipping. Sweet and sour fish can be garnished with sliced onions, carrots or julienned ginger or coriander leaves. The dish can also be seasoned with sesame oil.
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