The sauce on this Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bean Paste Sauce is delicious with cod and other fish like threadfin and king mackerel.
When it comes to fish, Asian cuisine has much, much more to offer. There are so many ways to prepare fish. Sometimes, it is just plain fried fish but the accompanying sauces and toppings make it so delicious served with steamed rice. Today’s recipe is a classic. Pickled green mustard (kiam chai), fermented bean paste, and chili make a slightly spicy and tangy sauce that goes well with most kinds of fish.
Suitable Fish For This Dish
I use cod fillets for this recipe because it is what’s easily available here but you can use ma yau yue (threadfin) or pek cheong (silver pomfret). Even stronger flavored fish like Ikan tenggiri (king mackerel) will also work. I have yet to try it with salmon and I will one day. It should work as the sauce is very flavorful.
Cod fillet is very tender and breaks up easily in the wok. I am not too concerned as we have to break it up when eating anyway. For presentation purposes, you may prefer to get cod steaks instead. For some reason cod steaks are not easy to come by where I live but either cut is totally fine.
Similar Products Used in Making This Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bean Paste Sauce
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Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel Wok Stir Fry Pan, 12-inch
Classic Series Carbon Steel Wok, 14-inch
Stainless Steel Professional Wok Turner Spatula
Fried Fish with Pickled Mustard Bean Paste Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 oz pickled mustard green / kiam chai (113g)
- 1½ lbs cod (cut into big pieces) (675g)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water (240ml)
- 1 tsp corn starch mix with 2 tbsp water
- 2 green onions / spring onions, thinly sliced
Sauce Paste
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 inch ginger (peeled and minced) (30g)
- 1 red chili (seeded and minced)
- 2 tbsp tau cheong (salted/fermented soy beans), minced
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Soak sour mustard for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and cut into thin strips.
- Combine all sauce paste ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.
- Place fish on a large plate. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper all over the fish.
- Heat 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large fry pan. Add prepared fish and fry until cooked and lightly brown, about 8 minutes (4 minutes on each side). Transfer fish to a serving dish.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the wok or large fry pan. Add sauce paste and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add prepared pickled mustard green. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Pour in water. Stir to mix. Cover and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add cornstarch slurry. Stir to mix. Sauce will start to thicken. Turn off stove.
- Ladle sauce over the fried fish. Garnish with green/spring onions and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Needless to say, this is perfect served with steamed rice. I paired it with this Fried Eggs with Bitter Gourd for a delicious and satisfying meal. If bitter gourd is not for you, try this Green Beans Omelet.
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