HK Style Fish Fillet in Cream Sauce Pasta. Crispy breaded fish cutlet fried and paired over a bed of garlic cream sauce pasta. A popular East meets West dish that is often served at Hong Kong style cafes. Great for dinner or lunch.
This dish is one of my husband’s all time favourite dishes to eat at Hong Kong style cafes, also known as “Cha-Chaan Tang”. Hong Kong Style cafes are known to serve a mix of popular Asian foods along with Western food like French toast, Baked Porkchops on rice, egg, and ham sandwiches and more!
My version of this Cantonese fish cutlet in cream sauce pasta is easy to make at home and prepared using an air fryer. However, if you don’t own an air fryer, I will share deep frying instructions and ingredients in the Notes section below of the recipe card.
Now there are many fish fillet in cream sauce recipes online, but I never saw one that was Hong Kong style surprisingly. So, I thought why not share this dish that many know and love. There are also other variations of this same dish using rice or using tomato sauce instead of cream. However, I really wanted to share the version my husband and I enjoy which is fish fillet in creamy white sauce and pasta!
What does this taste like?
Imagine taking a bite of crispy fried white fish that is seasoned and breaded in breadcrumbs. Then paired with a bite of ultra creamy white sauce spaghetti with a garlicky flavour. It’s so good you’ll be wanting more.
Easy to make!
This fish fillet in white sauce and pasta is easy to make at home! And if you’re good at multitasking, it should only take 30 minutes to prepare a large batch to feed 4 or more!
First cut the fillets into equal sized pieces, pat dry and coat them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Then transfer the filets to the air fryer basket. Spraying a bit of oil over top and air fry at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes on each side. If you don’t have an air fryer, you would deep fry the filets until golden crispy brown, 6-8 minutes in total, over medium heat in 2 cups of vegetable oil.
While the fish is frying, in a large pot filled halfway with water bring to boil and boil the pasta for 10 minutes or until Al Dente texture. Then strain it. Add the strained pasta back into your large pot.
Then in a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it’s melted, add flour, and mix to create a roux. To the roux, add minced garlic, salt, milk, and chicken stock. Whisk everything together and let this simmer and bubble until it’s thickened. Pour the thick sauce over the pasta and mix well.
Plate your pasta and place fish cutlets over top to serve. Optional garnish: dried parsley leaves.
HK Style Fish Fillet Pasta Bake
Now if you want, you can also bake the cream sauce pasta first for 5 minutes at 500 degrees F and then remove and place the fish cutlets over top. This is one way the HK style cafes will serve this dish but to be honest, there wasn’t much of a taste difference to me, and it also required more time and work.
Tips
Below are tips on making the best fish cutlet with cream sauce pasta recipe:
- Use quality white sturdy fish like cod, haddock or pollock.
- Feel free to use frozen or fresh fish. Either one will work well.
- Be sure to thaw your frozen fish if you’re using that and let the water drain or pat the fish dry before seasoning.
- Season the fish generously with salt and garlic powder on both sides. This is important or you’ll have tasteless fish.
- Cut the fish fillets into equal sizes so they fry evenly.
- Coat the fish into the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs GENEROUSLY. This is important or you’ll have patchy fillets.
- Leave enough space around each fillet when you air fry. If you’re deep frying, do not overcrowd the oil, only fry a few pieces at a time or it’ll lead to soggy fish.
- Salt your pasta water. This makes a difference for tastier pasta.
- Using a non-stick pan for the cream sauce is very helpful!
- When creating your cream sauce, prepare your ingredients ahead of time so you can create a proper roux.
- When making the cream sauce, cook over low-medium heat and do not increase heat past that.
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this HK style fish fillet in cream sauce pasta recipe, you may like these other recipes:
CANTONESE SOY SAUCE CHOW MEIN
MACAU-STYLE BAKED PORTUGUESE CHICKEN RICE
HONG KONG STYLE BAKED PORK CHOP RICE
HONG KONG STYLE FRENCH TOAST
SATAY BEEF SANDWICH
HONG KONG HAM EGG SANDWICH
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my Hong Kong cream sauce fish with pasta:
- 454 grams spaghetti, uncooked & dried
- 1 tablespoon salt, for pasta water
- 500 grams white fish filets (5 large pieces)
- 1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cream sauce:
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup chicken stock, unsalted
- 2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
How to make fish cutlet with cream sauce pasta
- Slice your filets into 5-inch-long pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and garlic powder.
- Prepare three separate bowls and add all-purpose flour to one and panko breadcrumbs to another. In the last bowl, beat two eggs. Dredge each fillet in all-purpose flour first, then eggs, and lastly panko.
- Transfer coated filets to air fryer basket (you may need to divide into two batches depending on the size of your air fryer). Make sure there’s enough space around each filet. Spray 1 teaspoon of oil over top. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes in total - flipping over halfway spraying oil on the other side as well. For deep frying instructions, please refer to NOTES sections below.
- Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water halfway and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to boil and add your pasta. Boil for 10 minutes or until Al-Dente texture. Strain immediately. Then place pasta back into large pot and set aside to keep warm.
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add flour, and mix well until incorporated. Add minced garlic, salt, milk, and chicken stock. Whisk constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5-7 minutes.
- Once sauce has thickened (you’ll know when you glide a spatula through the sauce and you can see the base of your pan), pour cream sauce into pot with pasta. Mix pasta with sauce.
- Plate your pasta and add cooked fish fillets over top. Optional garnish, sprinkle dried parsley flakes over top. Enjoy!
Notes:
To deep fry the fish, fill a pot or wok with 2 cups of vegetable oil and bring to medium heat. To test if oil is hot enough, place a wooden chopstick and look for bubbles to form at the end. Carefully add coated fish filet into hot oil, half a batch at a time. Fry until golden brown, 6-8 minutes in total, flipping over halfway. Transfer fried fish to cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip.
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my HK Style Fish Fillet in Cream Sauce Pasta a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my Hong Kong style fish fillet with pasta, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
Take a picture if you've made my fish fillet with butter cream sauce and tag me on Instagram @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
If you could leave a star rating for my fish in cream sauce pasta, I would greatly appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!
Take care,
Christie
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HK Style Fish Fillet in Cream Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- 454 grams spaghetti uncooked & dried
- 1 tablespoon salt for pasta water
- 500 grams white fish sliced into 10 filets haddock, pollock or cod recommended
- 1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cream sauce:
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup chicken stock unsalted
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Slice your filets into 5-inch-long pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and garlic powder.
- Prepare three separate bowls and add all-purpose flour to one and panko breadcrumbs to another. In the last bowl, beat two eggs. Dredge each fillet in all-purpose flour first, then eggs, and lastly panko.
- Transfer coated filets to air fryer basket (you may need to divide into two batches depending on the size of your air fryer). Make sure there’s enough space around each filet. Spray 1 teaspoon of oil over top. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes in total - flipping over halfway spraying oil on the other side as well. For deep frying instructions, please refer to NOTES sections below.
- Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water halfway and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to boil and add your pasta. Boil for 10 minutes or until Al-Dente texture. Strain immediately. Then place pasta back into large pot and set aside to keep warm.
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add flour, and mix well until incorporated. Add minced garlic, salt, milk, and chicken stock. Whisk constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5-7 minutes.
- Once sauce has thickened (you’ll know when you glide a spatula through the sauce and you can see the base of your pan), pour cream sauce into pot with pasta. Mix pasta with sauce.
- Plate your pasta and add cooked fish fillets over top. Optional garnish, sprinkle dried parsley flakes over top. Enjoy!
Katerina | Once a Foodie
I love this East meets West flavour combo! My kids would absolutely love it and I love how simple the ingredients list is - this delicious meal could absolutely be created on a weeknight. Thanks so much for sharing, Christie!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Looks so crispy delicious, Christie!! And that creamy, saucy pasta? Mmm!! I can see why this is a favorite of your husbands!
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
I love a good fish filet, and served alongside pasta, this looks simply irresistible! Love the use of cream sauce, too.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I am loving your homemade white sauce. This quick and easy dinner is comfort food at it's finest!
Rosemary
This is so yummy! A perfect indulgent meal to make on the weekend!!