STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Crispy fried pomfret is one of my family’s highly sought-after dishes. I once invited my former pastor and his wife to have a simple meal at my house, and one of the dishes I prepared was this crispy fried pomfret dish.
After that day, he could not forget the crispy fried pomfret that he had, so he asked what ingredient I used for the dish to be so crispy on the outside yet moist and tender on the inside. I told him that I simply used a secret magic powder for the fish!
Today I will unveil this well-kept secret to all TBK readers, so if you want to find out what my magic powder is, read on!
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WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- It’s simple and easy to make! Only requiring 30 mins and 4 ingredients, whip up this dish if you’re short on time to cook!
- The texture of the fish is out of this world! Super crispy on the outside, such that you can even eat the tail and fins, yet the white meat is succulent and tender on the inside.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY FRIED POMFRET?
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
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 (secret magic powder!) on both sides.
Make sure you coat the fish with corn flour inside the diagonal grooves too.
In a wok, add in the oil and heat over high fire.
Transfer the fish on a serving dish and serve hot with balachan chilli (optional) and lime (optional).
MARKETING TIPS
- 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 TIPS
- Clean the fish properly, otherwise it will have an unpleasant smell of stale blood. See my post on 6 Simple Steps to Scale and Clean Your Fish Like A Pro for more details.
- Pat the fish dry before frying, otherwise it will not be crispy.
COOKING TIPS
- 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.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed, but check the label of the Sambal Belachan sauce to ensure it is gluten free.
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: Skip the Sambal Belachan which contains shrimp.
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Crispy Fried Pomfret Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 gm Black Pomfret
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 - 2 1/2 tbsp Corn Flour a.k.a. Bee Leng's magic powder)
- 8 tbsp Oil for frying
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD
- 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
- 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.
- Make sure you coat the fish with corn flour inside the diagonal grooves too.
COOKING METHOD
- In a wok, add in the oil and heat over high fire.
- 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.
- Turn the fish over and fry for another 3-4 mins.
- Remove and place the fish on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Transfer the fish on a serving dish and serve hot with balachan chilli (optional) and lime (optional).
Notes
MARKETING TIPS
- 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 TIPS
- Clean the fish properly, otherwise it will have an unpleasant smell of stale blood. See my post on 6 Simple Steps to Scale and Clean Your Fish Like A Pro for more details.
- Pat the fish dry before frying, otherwise it will not be crispy.
COOKING TIPS
- 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.
Is the recipe calling for corn flour or corn starch? I bought corn flour but it has a shade of yellow which I don’t see in your photos. Thank you!
Hi Amy, cornflour and cornstarch are the same. In the picture I used Pagoda Brand Corn flour. The slight tint of yellow doesn’t really matter.
Can i use oven to bake it instead of pan frying ?
Ma’am, I’m so very grateful to have found your recipe. It’s amazingly simple and more delicious than any fried pomfret dish I’ve ever had or made. I feel I’ve reached nirvana. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sahu, glad that you have reached your nirvana. Would appreciate if you can post the picture of your final outcome on our FB and Instagram to like, share and comment. You may want to try our many other recipes too.
Thank you and enjoy cooking!!!!
yes, just finished cooking this recipe and I am giving it a 10 out of 10.
I have spent decades in South East Asia, and this has always been my go to fish for dinner. your recipe made it very quick and easy for me to prepare, and without very many ingredients, but the best part is, it tasted GREAT…… Thanks