Whole Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sitting in my father's kitchen is always an experience. I have my spot on the stool by the stove and I can just sit and watch him cook for hours on end (because on his days off he literally cooks ALL day). Like most of us home cooks he taught himself how to navigate around the kitchen because he gets hungry and he enjoys eating well. He says trial and error are the best teachers and I have to agree. He brought home these tilapias the other day, scaled them, trimmed their tails and fins and gave them a good rinse under cold running water. Then he stuffed them with cilantro and heated up the wok with a ton of oil and just before dropping them in he dredged them with flour and cornstarch (he wants you to know cornstarch is key). This is about when my mouth started to water...

The key to frying anything well is to make sure your oil is nice and hot. If you have a thermometer 350 degrees is what you're aiming for, if you don't, look for visual cues; shimmering oil (oil that moves around in the pan on its own). Since we want our fish to be almost completely submerged you'll need a lot of oil which takes time to heat up, so be patient. We used canola oil because it can handle high heat and it has a neutral taste. We used a wok which worked perfectly to submerge the fish while using less oil, a regular stock pot will still work fine. He still spooned the hot oil on top of the fish that wasn't submerged, and because you're frying an entire fish it will take a bit of time, about 20 minutes per fish. We devoured the first one while the second one cooked, anything fried is best when it's eaten immediately.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to close all the doors in your house, especially the bedrooms! The smell of frying fish will permeate your home and while it's a great smell while you're eating, it will certainly be off putting as you lay down to sleep at night.

Next on the to-do list was making a sweet and sour sauce. This came together with whatever leftovers were in the fridge. I annoyed my dad by making him measure things, I hope I caught all the ingredients.. It's basically diced veggies sauteed with vinegar and sugar. Taste it and adjust it till you like it. I like more sour than sweet, in that case just add more vinegar than sugar.

I was in charge of making the jasmine rice, which I tried not to be insulted by. Rinsing the rice until the water ran clear made my fingers really cold, so I guess I endured some form of hardship for this meal. When you're ready to eat get your small bowl of rice ready and lift the meat right off the bone and top it with the sweet and sour sauce. Prepare to die and go to heaven.

 We served ours on a large platter on a bed of watercress. The heat from the fried fish will help cook your greens just enough to soften them and the peppery fresh flavor of watercress goes great with the crunchy skin and soft meat of the fish. My dad also made a shrimp and meatball soup and then he sauteed Asian greens in oyster sauce as a side, but I'll save those recipes for another day, I could only take so many notes! Don't underrate visual presentation, make it look pretty! We eat with our eyes first. All of my senses were satisfied after this meal. My dad is spoiling me! I hope you have someone to spoil you too..

Whole Fried Fish
Serves 4

2 whole tilapias, scaled, fins and tails trimmed
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 egg
1/2 gallon canola oil
1 bunch watercress

Trim the tails of the fish with kitchen shears and wash and pat the fish dry thoroughly. Liberally season the fish with salt inside the cavity and outside on the skin. Beat the egg in a small bowl and coat the fish with the beaten egg. Place half the cilantro in the cavity of each fish, set aside.

In a medium bowl mix the flour, cornstarch and salt & pepper. Heat the oil in a large wok or stock pot until it reaches 350 degrees or the oil begins to shimmer. Coat the fish with the flour mixture just before adding it to the oil (coat one fish with flour, fry it, then coat the second fish once the first is done cooking).

With a large spoon, scoop the hot oil onto any parts of the fish that remain above the oil. After 10 minutes flip the fish and continue cooking, about 7-10 minutes longer depending on the size. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and serve immediately on a bed of watercress with jasmine rice and sweet and sour sauce on the side.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 cups
These veggies are what we had in the fridge, yours might look different!
 
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
handful of grape tomatoes, halved
3-4 mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 inch ginger, grated
1 green onion, sliced
1 jalapeno or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 teaspoon white vinegar
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 fresh lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Saute the onion and garlic together until softened. Add the other veggies and cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the bouillon cube, vinegar and sugar. Combine the water and cornstarch together to form a slurry, and slowly add to the vegetables and continue to cook until it begins to thicken. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want it more sour, add vinegar, for extra sweetness add sugar a pinch at a time until you get your desired flavor combination. Enjoy!