Fried Fish in Spicy and Sweet Lemon Sauce (Kakap Goreng Saus Lemon Pedas Manis)

I made this dish just one day after I made my other fish dish, which was Fried Fish in Fermented Black Bean Sauce. My son said he wanted another fried fish dish, and I thought of making a different kind of sauce this time. He really likes crispy fish fillets but he doesn’t like if the fish is mixed up with the sauce. So I always separate the fried fish and the sauce in different plates/bowls. That is why he doesn’t like eating fish outside because they always mix the fish and the sauce and it can become mushy and soggy. On the other hand, I like mixing my fish with the sauce until it is well coated and not so crispy on the outside anymore. Yes, we have different ways of eating and not just for fish only.

This sauce was so good with the mixture of sweet, spicy, savoury, and also sour. You will have to be able to taste all of those favours in the sauce, so please adjust the seasoning whenever necessary. I didn’t make the sauce too spicy because my boy was not allowed to eat spicy food, so it will be better if you can add more chili into the sauce. I didn’t use vinegar but I used lemon to give the sour taste to the sauce, and believe me, lemon is better and more refreshing than vinegar and you can only add it at the end of your cooking so you can still taste the freshness of your lemon the sauce. This was actually very easy to make once you’re done with all the preparations.

Ingredients:

1. 1 red snapper (about 500 gr), squeeze some lime juice to get rid of the fishy smell and let sit for 15 minutes
2. 3 tbsp cooking oil
3. 5 garlic, minced
4. 1 thumb of ginger, minced
5. 1 large red chili (remove the seeds), minced
6. 3 coriander roots, minced
7. a large yellow onion, cut into long stripes
8. 1/2 red capsicum, cut into long stripes
9. a handful of Chinese leeks, cut into long stripes
10. 5 slices of fresh pineapples, sliced

For the sauce:

1. 2 tbsp fish sauce
2.  3 tbsp sugar
3. 2 tbsp ketchup
4. 1 tbsp chili sauce in bottles (optional)
5. 350 ml water
6. 2 tbsp sesame oil
7. 1 tbsp tapioca starch + 50 ml of water, mix until there are no lumps
8. lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

To marinate the fish:

1. 1 tbsp sesame oil
2. 1/2 tsp salt
3. 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
4. 2 garlic, grated
5. 1 slice of ginger, grated
6. 1 egg white
7. tapioca starch to coat the fish

Method:

To prepare the fish:

1. Fillet the fish on both sides and separate the meat from the bones and the head (see picture below). Then slice both the fish fillets into thin slices
2. Season the fish (the bones and the fish fillets) with sesame oil, salt, pepper, grated garlic, grated ginger, then in the egg white. Marinate for 15 minutes
3. Coat the fish with tapioca flour and deep fry until golden brown on both sides. Place the fish bones with the head on a plate and arrange the fillets on top of the bones

To make the sauce:

1. Heat a wok with 3 tbsp of cooking oil, then add minced garlic and ginger. Stir fry until fragrant
2. Add minced chili and coriander roots, stir just until aromatic
3. Add the sauce mixture (fish sauce, sugar, ketchup, sesame oil and water) and bring to a boil
4. Slowly pour the tapioca flour and water mixture, and stir to mix and cook until the sauce is thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning (if necessary)
5. Add yellow onion, red capsicum, Chinese leeks, and pineapple slices. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the vegetables reach the texture that you like. Turn off the heat
6. Add lemon juice, stir to mix
7. Pour the sauce on top of the fish on the plate. Serve with hot steam rice