Crispy fish stir-fried with flavourful and savory aromatics with mild kick! This easy 20-minute Chinese salt and pepper fish is great as a main dish and for the family to enjoy! It's restaurant quality saving you money for those busy weeknights!
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This easy Chinese salt and pepper fishĀ recipe is effortless and made with simple ingredients! My version is not deep-fried but shallow fried in oil making it slightly healthier and reduces food waste versus what you get at the Chinese restaurant.
This is a classic and popular seafood dish served at many Chinese restaurants and it pairs deliciously with steamed white rice and saucy vegetables! I always order it with my husband because I love that crispy fish seasoned with strong aromatics.
The best part about this recipe is that it's made with minimal ingredients in little time. You can you use fresh or frozen sturdy white fish to avoid it breaking apart in the pan.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cod filets: or substitute with any white sturdy fish like haddock, halibut or pollock fillets that are boneless and skinless. Fresh or frozen fish both work.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Red chili: any large red chili will work. If you want it extra spicy, you can use Thai red bird's eye chili.
- Fresh ginger
- Green onion
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with cane sugar
- Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.Ā Ā
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
- Salt and black pepper
Fish Marinade
- Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.Ā
- Black pepper
- Large egg
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch
- Salt
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Prepare all the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is quick!
- Make sure to use skinless fillets so you don't need to remove the skin yourself.
- Evenly dice the fish so they can cook evenly.
- Pat dry the fish fillets with clean paper towels to remove as much excess moisture so the starch can stick to the fish.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough (around 325-350 degrees F) before lowering your fish by using a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden utensil into the hot oil and look for bubbles.
- Fry battered fish in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan which reduces the oil temperature leading to less crispy or even uncooked fish.
- Drain the fried fish on a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil which causes soggy fish.
- Don't burn the aromatics! Just sautƩ until fragrant.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to makeĀ Chinese salt and pepper fish:
- Pat fish fillets very dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture and dice fish into 1-inch wide pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients and add in diced fish. Mix well until each piece of fish is evenly coated with starch. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-heat to a temperature of 350 degrees F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden chopstick or utensil into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Shallow fry battered fish until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes in total. Remove fried fish and transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Discard excess oil in the pan leaving 1 teaspoon in the pan.
- On medium heat, sautƩ ginger, garlic, green onions, red chilli, and sugar for 10 seconds. Toss in battered fish. Add in Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry the fish with the other ingredients.
- Remove off heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Yes, this can be frozen. Allow the fish to cool down completely, store it into a freezer-safe bag and remove any excess air. It can be frozen up to 2 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Chinese salt and pepper fish serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- other seafood dishes like Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp and more!
FAQ
Chinese salt and pepper fish can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Note: overtime fish and like many seafood dishes won't taste as fresh, so I do recommend enjoying this dish immediately if possible.
Yes, you can substitute with chicken, shrimp, pork or extra-firm tofu and I share individual recipes for each version: chicken, shrimp, pork, or tofu.
The main reason is that the fish wasn't dried properly with paper towels. If the fish is too wet, the starch will slide off.
Yes you can air fryer the coated fish by first lightly spraying the air fryer basket with oil. Then place the coated fish in small batches in a single layer so there's enough room between the pieces. Generously spray enough oil on the fish pieces. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 4-6 minutes on the first side until crispy. Then flip over and air fry on the other side for 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden.
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š Recipe
Easy 20-min. Chinese Salt and Pepper Fish
Ingredients
- 1.75 lb cod filet or skinless boneless haddock, halibut or pollock fillets
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large red chilli sliced
- 2 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
- 2 green onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry wine or chicken broth for non-alcohol version
- ā cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil for frying
- Ā¼ teaspoon salt or add more if needed
- Ā¼ teaspoon black pepper or add more if needed
Fish Marinade
- 6 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry wine or chicken broth for non-alcohol version
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pat fish fillets very dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture and dice fish into 1-inch wide pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients and add in diced fish. Mix well until each piece of fish is evenly coated with starch. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-heat to a temperature of 350 degrees F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden chopstick or utensil into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Shallow fry battered fish until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes in total. Remove fried fish and transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Discard excess oil in the pan leaving 1 teaspoon in the pan.
- On medium heat, sautƩ ginger, garlic, green onions, red chilli, and sugar for 10 seconds. Toss in battered fish. Add in Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry the fish with the other ingredients.
- Remove off heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
sally
I love how my fish turned out, I was using Pollock fillets, for the first time, because it was fishy, I decided this is the right recipe to take care of the "problem" and it did. Thank you for sharing.
christieathome
Thanks so much for sharing your kind comment with me Sally! Happy my recipe helped take care of that problem! Have a great day!
Joe
It came out very yummy! I found that the step of patting the fish dry is crucial otherwise the fish ends up not being crispy. I was a bit uncertain about how much fish is "two pieces." I cooked with 2lbs of fish and that worked out pretty well. Also remember to include the scallions in step 4 (at least I assume that's when they're supposed to go in). Thanks for all the info on sustainable fish!
christieathome
Thank you so much Joe for your kind review! Iām so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the note on how much fish you used! And oops, forgot the step on the scallions so thank you for reminding me to include that. Have a great day!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love how you started this recipe with MSC certified cod filets... and the flavors you've added are so perfect! šš
Brian
This was so good! I made it last night and it had such a great spicy taste.
Rebecca Dillon
This recipe sounds so tasty AND healthy! Can't wait to try it.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Looks delicious, Christie! We're definitely trying to get more fish into our diets and this looks like a yummy way to do it! So crispy!!