Korean Style Fried Snapper With Seasoning Sauce

Many people avoid cooking or eating whole fish for different reasons. For some, they get queasy at the site of the head while for others, they do not know how to properly cook nor eat a whole fish. Aside from the texture and impressive presentation, fish cooked on the bone has the best flavor. The gelatin-rich backbone is an excellent heat conductor while the skin acts as an insulator to help seal in the moisture. Cooked whole fish has a sweet-tasting and moist flesh.

Let us show you a really easy and simple way to cook a whole fish. In this recipe, an entire fish is seasoned with salt, coated with flour, and fried in hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Instead of serving the fish with a dipping sauce, a rich sweet and spicy soy-based sauce is spread on top of the fish. This makes each bite of the fried fish more exciting and bursting with flavor. This Korean style fried snapper with seasoning sauce is best served with rice and sautéed bean sprouts.

Ingredients:

This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make. Serves 3 to 4.

• 1 ½ pound whole black snapper, scaled and gutted
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• ⅓ cup of cooking oil

Seasoning Sauce (Yangnyeomjang):
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green chili pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp hot pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Cut 3 to 4 diagonal slits on each side of the fish.
Rub salt all over the fish including the cavity, then set aside.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Coat both sides of the fish with flour.
Gently place the fish in the frying pan.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the seasoning sauce.
Mix together soy sauce, green onions, garlic, green chili pepper, hot pepper flakes, and sugar in a small bowl.
Add sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds.
Mix well and set aside.
Turn the fish over and cook the other side for another 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat.
Turn the heat off and transfer the fried fish on a serving platter.
Immediately spread the seasoning sauce on top of the fish.

Ideas And Tips:

Aside from black snapper, you can use red snapper, tilapia, striped bass, bream, pomfret, pompano, sole, barramundi, grouper, branzino, trout, mackerel, halibut or surgeonfish.

For frying, you can use peanut oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil.

You can roast the whole fish in the oven, Place the salted fish on a greased baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 450°F for 18 to 20 minutes.

You can also steam the whole fish. Brush oil on the steaming plate so the fish does not stick while cooking. Cook the salted fish in a steamer for 20 to 25 minutes.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRNDKz_aUMw