https://youtu.be/1C2m04h3Vpk

"During the early Han dynasty, Cantonese Cuisine was known for its plethora of ingredients and its delicious taste. Gradually, they built up a reputation for themselves." (Episode 8)

Original website: https://www.theburningkitchen.com/crispy-fried-pomfret-recipe/

Ingredients

     - 400 grams of Black Pomfret

     - 1/4 tsp of salt

     - 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp of corn flour

     - 8 tbsp oil for frying

Directions

For Preparation

1) Wash the pomfret and use a sharp knife to make diagonal criss-cross cuts across the body 1-inch apart to form a diamond shape. Then use a kitchen towel to pat the fish fry, both outside and inside.

2) Rub 1/4 tsp salt on the fish skin as well as the inside of the fish. Then coat the whole fish generously with corn flour on both sides.

3) Make sure you coat the fish with corn flour inside the diagonal grooves too.

For Cooking

4) In a wok, add in the oil and heat over high fire.

5) When the oil is boiling, shake off the extra flour from the fish and place it in the oil to fry for about 3-4 mins.

6) Turn the fish over and fry for another 3-4 mins.

7) Remove and place the fish on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

8) Transfer the fish on a serving dish and serve hot with balachan chilli (optional) and lime (optional).

Serving(s): 4

Time: 30 min ( 20 min prep + 10 min cook)

Tip(s):

Marketing 

*  Buy Black Pomfret for this dish. There are many types of pomfrets (white, golden, black, silver, Chinese), but the best pomfret for this dish is the Black Pomfret because the meat tends to be firmer, so its great for frying but I would not steam the Black pomfret for that same reason.

Prep

* Clean the fish properly, otherwise it will have an unpleasant smell of stale blood.

* Pat the fish dry before frying, otherwise it will not be crispy.

Cooking

* Tilt the wok around if you are using less oil to deep fry the pomfret like I do in the photos above so that the whole fish can cook evenly. To make the fin and tail crispy, be sure to tilt the wok in such a way that the tail and the fin of the pomfret are fully immersed in the oil while frying.

* You need to use high heat to deep-fry the fish so the outside is crispy while the inside remains tender and moist. But make sure the fish doesn't get burnt during frying. Watch the fire and lower the heat if necessary.