Taiwanese🐟 Seafood

Pan-fried Little Threadfin Fish

Name: Pan-fried Little Threadfin Fish
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients: 10 little threadfin fish; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp oil; 3 cloves minced garlic; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; ½ tbsp water; fish roe

⏱ 10 min🍽 Serves 5

A classic Taiwanese dish featuring fresh little threadfin fish pan-fried until the skin is crispy and the flesh is tender. Served with a simple garlic soy sauce, it is a beloved home-style meal.

Adapted from a video by 台菜一姐

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Ingredients

little threadfin fishsaltwater threadfin, cleaned, scaled, gutted, and halved while retaining the tail10
saltfor marinating fish and roe1 tsp
oilfor pan-frying2 tbsp
minced garlicfor making garlic soy sauce3 cloves
light soy saucefor dipping sauce2 tbsp
waterto dilute the sauce½ tbsp
fish roefresh and plump roe, reserved for separate pan-frying

Steps

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1
Clean and prepare the fish. Scrape off any remaining scales near the tail. Select plump, fresh roe and discard any dark or spent roe. Cut the fish in half just above the tail, retaining a small portion of the tail to prevent the pieces from looking ragged.
2
Use the blade tip to carefully clean away blood and residue around the backbone. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, especially the cut surfaces. Sprinkle a small amount of salt (less than one teaspoon), and gently stir with a spoon to distribute evenly and allow the salt to season the fish. Set aside any smaller or softer fish separately.
3
Heat a non-stick pan. Start with a cold pan and cold oil, then add approximately 2 tablespoons of oil once the pan is warm (do not dry-heat). When the oil is hot enough to produce a light sizzle, gently place the fish skin-side down and fry over medium-low heat.
4
Fry for about one minute until golden, then flip. Continue until both sides are golden and the fish meat shrinks back while the bones become prominent, indicating doneness. Total cooking time is around three minutes. Reduce heat if needed to prevent the outside from burning while the inside remains undercooked.
5
Turn off the heat before removing from the pan to prevent dry-heating. Transfer the cooked fish to a serving plate.
6
Mince the garlic and combine with light soy sauce, then add about half a tablespoon of water to dilute. The sauce should just cover the garlic pieces and remain light in flavor to preserve the delicate taste of the fish.
7
Place the reserved roe in a rice cooker with one-third cup water in the outer pot and steam until cooked. Transfer to the frying pan and use residual oil to gently pan-fry over low heat, stirring lightly with chopsticks until the roe turns golden.
8
Plate the roe with the fish. Serve with the garlic soy sauce for dipping, or enjoy plain without sauce.

Pan-fried Little Threadfin Fish

Ingredients

Steps

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