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Chinese Pan Fried Fish with Soy Sauce
Learn to cook Chinese pan-fried fish fillet with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and scallion. Follow my easy tips to get that perfectly crispy pan-fried fish.
Pan-fried fish with soy sauce is one of the most classic Chinese recipe to enjoy white fish. Chinese restaurants love to serve their fish whole, and only sometimes thinly sliced, or in fillet form.
This recipe with fish fillets is the easiest and most straightforward, and you can have a really nice fish dish for lunch/dinner in 30 minutes, including prep time. ♥
Which fish is commonly used in Chinese cooking?
Most Chinese fish recipes call for whole fish, and some of the more popular fish we use when cooking Chinese dishes include red snapper, rock rish, pomfret, flounder/sole, sea bass/striped bass, tilapia, and cod.
If you are using cod, we usually use cod fillets/steaks only and not the whole fish since cod is a very large fish.
The best fish to use is live fish
I prefer using whole fish when I can buy them still living and kicking in their tanks, which you should be able too if you have access to a big Chinese/Asian grocery stores.
In almost every store that I have visited in the US, most will happily clean and cut the fish for you if you ask, so you can save some prepping time.
Be sure to ask for ice if you do this to keep the fish as fresh for as long as possible.
Also, cook the fish on the same day you buy it, preferably immediately once you reach home. :)
What if I can’t find live fish?
You can still use whole fish, even when you can’t find live ones. Be sure to select very fresh fish. It should have clear eyes, shiny scales, and fresh smell of the sea, not fishy or stinky.
Can I use fish fillet instead?
If your grocery store doesn’t sell live fish and the whole fish selection is not great, you can use fish fillet too. In fact, I develop this recipe around fish fillets, though you can definitely use this recipe to prepare whole fish too. :)
Please make sure that your fish fillet has firm flesh, and if possible, with skin on so you get to enjoy the contrast between crispy skin and tender flesh.
Feel free to use frozen fish fillets as those can oftentimes have higher quality than the ones already sitting for hours in the meat section.
How to prepare fish fillets so they will be crispy.
First, let’s prepare the fish fillet for pan-frying so you will end up with perfectly crispy pan-fried fish fillets. :)
1. Pat dry each fish fillet with really well.
This step is super important, especially if you use thawed frozen fish.
2. Salt, pepper, starch/flour.
Sprinkle each side of the fish fillet with salt and pepper, then dust with corn starch. If you don’t have corn starch and you are not aiming for a gluten-free dish, you can also simply dust the fish fillet with all-purpose flour.
3. Shake off excess starch/flour.
You want to coat your fish well, but not excessively. Too much starch/flour will actually lead to less crispy fish.
How to perfectly cook a pan-fried fish fillet.
Once you do all the steps above, your fish fillets are ready to be cooked. Here are the steps to follow to ensure crispy fried fish:
1. Use a heavy pan/skillet.
My preferred choice is a cast-iron skillet, and you really don’t need a non-stick pan to cook a perfect pan-fried fish.
2. Hot pan and cold oil.
Always heat the pan first before adding oil. So what you want to do is to heat the pan until you start seeing thin smoke, then add oil and swirl to coat the pan, then proceed with cooking.
3. Let the fish fillet releases itself from the pan.
Almost 100% of the time, the fish fillets will initially stick to the pan. But, once the surface is cooked and becomes golden brown, the fillets will release itself naturally from the pan.
So have patience and don’t try to move your fish in its early stage. You should at least wait until the edges of the fillet are golden brown before you try nudging it.
Sauce for Chinese pan-fried fish
This dish is all about enjoying the fish with as little seasoning ingredients as possible. And you can see that we use only garlic, ginger, and scallions for our herbs/aromatics.
As for the sauce, it cannot get any simpler than this. You will only need three ingredients: water, light soy sauce, and sugar. For most people, that’s practically just soy sauce, right? :)
For light soy sauce, I usually either use Pearl River Bridge or Kimlan.
What is a good substitute for light soy sauce?
The best substitute is regular soy sauce, such as Kikkoman soy sauce, preferably reduced-sodium soy sauce as I find the regular version too salty.
Chinese Pan Fried Fish with Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 250 gram firm white fish fillet, such as red snapper, tilapia, rockfish, flounder, cod, etc.
- pinch of salt
- pinch of ground pepper
- corn starch, to dust the fish (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic, cut into small pieces (or roughly minced)
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, sliced diagonally
- Sauce for Chinese fried fish
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Pat dry the fish really well, especially so if you use thawed frozen fish fillet. Scatter a pinch of salt and ground pepper on the fish. Dust with corn starch (or all-purpose flour) to coat the fish so it won't stick when fried on the pan. Shake to remove excess starch/flour, and set aside.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat frying pan on high heat until you see a thin wisp of smoke. Add oil and swirl to coat the pan, stir fry garlic, ginger, and scallion until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, fry the fish for 5 minutes on each side. Flip the fish once at the end of 5 minutes, or once edges of the fish have browned. Otherwise, the fish will stick to the pan. Set the fish on a serving plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and pour the sauce into the pan. Once it bubbles a bit, return the garlic, ginger, and scallion into the sauce. Cook for a minute. Pour the sauce onto the fish. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.
Notes
- (1) You can also use all-purpose flour to dust the fish if you don't need the dish to be gluten-free.
- (2) You can also use regular soy sauce, preferably less-sodium version, if you don't have light soy sauce. If you must, you can also use dark soy sauce but do add salt to suit your taste since dark soy sauce is less salty compared to light soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
Comments
Yummy,thanks
Beautiful pictures there. Will be cooking this! Thanks for the recipe, Anita :)
Thanks Chris. I hope you will like this one as well :)
I love this recipe, it'll be my second time using it.....thank you Anita......much love and thanks from my picky family ,lol..
Oops its Daniel ray,,,sorry
I am happy you and your family love the recipe :)
Hi, may I know do you use light soya sauce or dark soya sauce? Thanks!
I use either regular soy sauce or light soy sauce, but not dark soy sauce.
Can I use kembung fish for this sis? Is that ok?
Hm.... I am not so sure, usually I use red snapper/rock fish/tilapia.
Hi, Can we make this recipe using Basa fillets
I think basa would also be a good choice :)
Made this last night. Very good. Very good. Suggestion: Fry in two batches. Fish will brown better. Suggestion: Make twice the sauce; it's not enough. Suggestion: Salt fish immediately after frying. Use a wok. Keeper.
Can I use dark soy sauce?
Yes, but Chinese dark soy sauce is generally less salty, so you may want to adjust by adding a bit of salt to taste. If you have regular soy sauce like Kikkoman, you can also use that. :)
Ive tried this recipe today and have received great feedbacks from my guests! thanks !
Thanks for the feedback Jane. I am glad your guests love this dish. :)
How do you make the sauce without Soy sauce? Do you add other liquid. I've eaten it where the sauce is clear and wondered how that was made. Can you tell me?
Hi Christine, the sauce has light soy sauce in it. Plus, I have also written in the recipe that you can use regular soy sauce if you don't have light soy sauce at home.
This looks absolutely amazing! We usually fry fish on the grill will have to try it in the pan!
I love grilled fish too, especially when the weather is nice like summer. :) For a colder time like now (winter-spring transition), it's more convenient to just do some pan frying.
I love Chinese fried fish! Looks so delicious and I love how easy it is to make!
That looks so lovely and light. I really need to start cooking more Chinese meals at home.
Thank you, Dannii. I hope this recipe will inspire you to prepare more Chinese dishes.
Love the chinese inspiration to this recipe, soy sauce is my favor flavor! Thanks for the share :)
I love eating seafood and this seems like a simple and easy recipe, thanks for sharing, I can't wait to give this a go! Cheers
We are a family of seafood lovers too. And since I am the one who does all the cooking in my home, it's a bonus since seafood usually is a snap to prepare. :D
Thank you for the recipe! it was delicious and simple to make. I will definitely make it again and again.
I am super happy you love this recipe Ceciel. This is definitely one of the most requested recipe at home, and I make this weekly for my family. :)
Thank You so much! A big help to me since I recently switched to pescetarian diet. Cheers 😃
This recipe looks super interesting!
Very simple recipe but super delicious especially when you drench the ginger soy sauce on steamed white rice. Yummy!!
This was so great! My family absolutely loves it, thank you!
This chinese fried fish has so many great flavors! Definitely a dish that is going on my menu!
I'm a spearo so I get a lot of delicious fresh fish and have cooked this recipe a few times. If you wanna make it really extra, add a stalk of lemon grass, a small red chilli without most of the seeds, finely cut basil and finely cut coriander. The lemon grass being the main winner if anything!
Thanks for sharing your modification. That lemongrass, chili, basil, and coriander combo sounds delicious. It's so awesome that you are a spearo, you must be eating freshly caught fish all the time. :)
What a lovely light meal. Looks like it has lots of flavour too.
Wow what a great dish, this is perfect for a week night dinner!! Thank you
I love finding great new fish recipes! Definitely this will be a favorite one in our house!
I've always been intimidated to buy a whole fish because I wasn't sure what to buy. Thanks for the tips.
What vegetable can you serve with this. My husband does not eat rice or pasta?
Hi Debbie, I usually serve this with some Chinese greens, such as bok choy, napa cabbage, gai lan, or even broccoli. You can try some of my recipes:
- Bok Choy Stir Fry with Oyster Sauce and Garlic Oil
- Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry in Oyster Sauce
This was quick, simple, and delicious! Just the way I like it. A definite recipe to be kept, shared, and made many times.
Surprisingly delicious considering how easy it is to make. . Definitely a keeper. I reduce fat by using cooking spray. And I reduced and crushed the ginger since I only like it in small doses.
We are in the middle of preparing our Lenten menu and this is first on the list! So easy and so flavorful.
Loved it ❤️
I made this for dinner tonight with some fresh King Dory Fillets and it was amazing. Served it with steamed rice. So quick and easy to make and tastes restaurant quality.
This is so simple and incredibly delicious.
I hate fish. But this recipe is delicious. My husband loves fish and I try to prepare it but have had many failures. This was an absolute success. I will make extra sauce next time!
Hi, i am cooking this right now its very simple and looks amazing!
Delicious!
I don’t like ginger, will it be ok without?
Hi KW, it should be okay without ginger. You may want to increase the amount of garlic and scallions, each by 50%, to compensate for the lack of flavor from the ginger.
Thank you so much!! It was incredible - added stir fry veg for extra bite!!
Oh wow this is quick and easy and super great in taste! Had frozen Dory fish fillets and happened to find this recipe on Google. Talk about serendipity!
very good recipe
Lovely recipe. I didn't have fresh ginger so I used fresh chilies instead, really nice flavour. Tonight we will try with ginger & sole instead of cod.
Surprisingly delicious for such a simple recipe. I used yellow-bellied perch because I had it. I’d recommend this recipe to anyone.
What a fantastic recipe! I just finished making and eating this dish! Easy and fast to make and very forgiving. I didn't have any corn starch so I used plain flour and panko crumbs and seasoned with salt and pepper - then pan fried with peanut oil. The sauce which I thought was going to be really salty - turned out really lovely. The husband came back for seconds :)
Delicious! I used swai and it came out great, nice and crisp, and the sauce complimented it perfectly.
This is excellent, been cooking this for years since I first saw it. It's great on white rice, simple, fast, delicious.
Made this as written (used potato starch and pollock for fish). It was delicious. Next time I will double the sauce part. I will be making this frequently. Thank you.
Some of the best fish I've ever made!
😍👍
Good
Love it! ❤
Delicious, I added 1tsp of hoisin sauce to the sauce portion plus used honey instead of sugar (to taste). Will definitely make again.
Absolutely the best way to make fish! Thank you so much for this recipe. It is so perfect and so tasty, especially for tilapia and cod. Mmmm.
I cooked this last weekend. Whole family loved it. Will cook it again this coming weekend. Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe. ❤️
Easy to make and was delicious. Thumbs up.
omg this is soooooo good. this is now a staple recipe in our house. great job!
So delicious and easy! Double the yummy sauce
I've made this three times now and it's always delicious. Twice I used sea bass fillets and once tilapia. I also added some relatively mild fresh red chilli with the ginger and garlic etc. My Thai wife says it's very delicious too.
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