![Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/06/20/multimedia/yf-grilled-tahini-honey-chicken-thighs-cwqk/yf-grilled-tahini-honey-chicken-thighs-cwqk-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Sweet and Sour Fish
![Sweet and Sour Fish](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/03/27/multimedia/27TOMB-SWEEPINGrex3-sweet-and-sour-fish-wvjf/29TOMB-SWEEPINGrex3-sweet-and-sour-fish-wvjf-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 6tablespoons white vinegar
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½tablespoons mirin
- ½tablespoon soy sauce
- 1bird’s-eye chile, seeded and finely minced
- 1whole (1½-pound) striped sea bass (or white-fleshed fish), cleaned and gutted
- ½cup michiu (Taiwanese rice wine) or cooking sake
- 2scallions, chopped
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced
- ¼cup plus ½ tablespoon thick sweet potato starch (see Tip) or cornstarch
- 3cups olive oil
- ½medium red bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
- ½medium yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
- 1small cucumber, cut into 1-inch squares
- ½small yellow onion, sliced
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛teaspoon white pepper
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
For the Sauce
For the Fish
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup water with the vinegar, tomato paste, mirin, soy sauce and chile. Stir to combine; set aside.
- Step 2
Prepare the fish: In a medium baking dish, place the sea bass and pour the rice wine over. Stuff the scallions and ginger into the belly of the fish and let rest for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Step 3
Discard the ginger, scallions and rice wine. Holding the knife at an angle, slice three parallel diagonal slashes crosswise on both sides of the fish, deep enough so that they reach the center bone. Next, slice three slashes lengthwise on both sides of the fish, creating a grid pattern.
- Step 4
Put ¼ cup of the sweet potato starch on a plate. Press the fish into the starch until both sides are fully coated; rub the starch into the cuts.
- Step 5
In a wok set over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it reaches 320 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Shake off any excess starch on the fish. Slide in the fish and cook, flipping twice, until it’s crispy with a golden-brown crust, 5 to 7 minutes. To check if the fish is done, pierce the thickest part of the fish with a chopstick. If it slides right through, it’s done. Turn off the heat. Transfer the fish to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Safely discard the oil, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok.
- Step 6
Heat the wok over high and add the chopped red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, onions, salt and white pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are vibrant and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and rapidly simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened and the bell peppers are soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 7
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ tablespoon sweet potato starch with ½ tablespoon water to form a slurry. Immediately pour the slurry slowly into the wok, stirring so that it’s incorporated completely. The sauce will thicken and begin to glisten. Turn off the heat.
- Step 8
Arrange the fried fish on a large rimmed serving plate and pour the sauce with the vegetables over the fish. Garnish with the cilantro; enjoy while hot.
- Thick sweet potato starch is coarse, similar to panko bread crumbs but a bit finer. It will give the fish a particularly crispy, crunchy texture.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
You can't deep fry fish in olive oil. You need canola or something like that. And 3 cups is way excessive. Use about a cup and baste the fish as it cooks. Also, why flip the fish twice? Once is enough. Otherwise it just falls apart.
I used half the oil, and cod, which broke apart a bit. And it took much longer than 45 minutes to make. Alas, it was fabulous, and I will have to make it again! Leftover scraps the next day were even better!
Can other kinds of oil be used?
I use either butter/ghee or avocado oil, and the fish comes out fine.
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