Believe it or not, I have a recipe from Windiz. And, I kid you not, it's good too. With an abundance of sea bass taken on Saturday 7/13 (about 120 pounds) I was anxious to try new things. Allan wanted a few fish left whole (not Filleted). I asked him how he intended to cook it and, to my surprise, it not only sounded good, but when I tried it, I was so impressed I made it again the following night! That's two nights in a row!
OK, lets get started. Clean your fish by removing all scales, the guts and top & bottom fins-in that order (do this by making a slit on both sides of the fin and then pulling the bones out starting from the tail going towards the head). Allan wanted the head left on, but I removed the head and trimmed the tail with a scissor.
Next, starting with a bottle of Black Bean and Ginger sauce, I added about 1/4 cup of Sake and a dash of oyster sauce. Then I diced in some fresh ginger and a bit of lemon zest (peel). Cut a few slits in the sides of the fish and place it in this sauce making sure the top side is covered (it doesn't have to be submerged, simply spooning some on top will do).
Next, prepare the dry ingredients. I like to use a mixture of 75% corn starch and 25% corn meal. I like the texture it produces but you can use pure corn starch or play with your percentages. Even flower will work, but it wont be as crispy. Mix in a bowl enough of this powder to cover your fish and spice it with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, old bay and powdered ginger to taste. Mix this and when finished remove your fish from the marinade and coat it completely with the powdered ingredients.
Next, put about 2 to 3 cups of oil in a large deep frying pan or wok. Use peanut oil because it has a high smoke point and is a healthy oil. Heat this oil until very hot and then carefully place your fish in the hot pan. About 3 or 4 minutes per side should do it then another 2 minutes on edge (upright). For most of the frying I covered the pan. This not only helped to keep the kitchen clean, but it steamed the parts of the fish that were not in the oil helping with the cooking.
While the fish is cooking, drain the marinade into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil then let it simmer for about 5 minutes. This will make a great dipping sauce for the fish or you can pour it on top when serving.
The traditional Chinese way to serve a whole fish is to serve it upright, sitting on it's belly. I'm told that if, while eating it, should you knock it over, some bad luck will befall upon you. While I don't believe this for a minute, I do serve it upright and try no to knock it over just for the fun of it. You will find your fish will be crispy brown on the outside and moist and fresh on the inside. The bones help to flavor the fish and make it moist as the marrow and other juices will expand out from the bones and into the meat. The heat of the oil and the skin on the fish prevents any oil from entering the fish so it is more like steamed and not oily at all. I have to tell you that this is one of the most delicious meals I have ever prepared.
Good Fishing - Good Eating - Captain John
(cr) July 2002