We’ve been showcasing a selection of the best recipes featured on MasterChef Australia, of late.
One recipe that really stood out from the crowd on tonight’s episode was the Hot and Sour Crispy Fried Fish. Wow, did it look good!
Thanks to MasterChef Australia, here’s everything you need to know to create the dish at home.
Serves 4
Hot and Sour Crispy Fried Fish Ingredients
Crispy Fish Floss
100g snapper fillet
Hot and Spicy Sauce
1 tbsp belacan
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 small Asian shallots, sliced
10 dried long red chillies
4 long red chillies, roughly chopped and deseeded
2 tbsp red chillies, chopped
½ tsp dried lemon myrtle leaf
2 tbsp roughly chopped galangal
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander root
10 white peppercorns, toasted and finely ground
2 tbsp oil
5 tbsp fish sauce
5 tbsp palm sugar
¼ cup finely chopped dessert lime pulp
½ cup finely chopped blood lime pulp
6 cinnamon myrtle leaves
6 anise myrtle leaves
¼ cup finger lime pulp
Juice 1 lime
Coconut Rice
1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
½ cup moist shredded coconut
5 makrut lime leaves, finely shredded
1 cup Fish Floss
Sweet Potato Shreds and Crispy Thai Basil
150g sweet potato, peeled, julienne
2 sprigs Thai basil, leaves picked
Fried Snapper
1 – 1.5 kg whole snapper, scaled, cleaned, gutted, gills removed
½ cup coarse rice flour, to coat
Salt, to taste
6 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
To garnish
Coriander, Vietnamese mint and lime leaves, ground roasted glutinous rice, finger lime pearls
Hot and Sour Crispy Fried Fish Recipe Method
1. Preheat oven to 190o
2. For the Fish Floss, wash the snapper fillet. Place onto a wire rack then onto a tray. Cook in the oven until quite dry and just beginning to colour. Set aside to cool. Break into pieces and place into a food processor with salt. Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil in a large deep wok to 180o
4. Carefully sprinkle a small handful into the oil. When it has finished foaming, use a slotted spoon to move the crumbs from the outside of the wok into the centre for the mixture to ‘stick together’.
5. Carefully flip over to cook through and when it is just golden in colour, remove and drain on paper towel. Season with sea salt.
6. For the Hot and Spicy Sauce, wrap belacan in foil and toast in the oven until fragrant and dry, about 15 – 20 minutes.
7. Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, process garlic, shallots, dried chillies, chillies, lemon myrtle, galangal, toasted belacan, coriander root and peppercorns to a fine paste.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok and stir fry the paste until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce and palm sugar, to taste. Continue to cook, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Add blood and desert limes, finger lime pearls and lime juice. Add cinnamon and anise myrtle leaves. Moisten with ½ cup water and simmer for a few minutes for the flavours to come together. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
9. For the Coconut Rice, cook rice according to packaging instructions. Stir through coconut whilst still warm. Set aside and cover to keep warm until service.
10. For service transfer rice to service bowl and garnish with kaffir lime and Fish Floss.
11. Return oil to the heat.
12. For the Sweet Potato Shreds, season prepared sweet potato and set aside for five minutes.
13. Use paper towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Gently separate shreds from each other to avoid clumping.
14. Carefully sprinkle into the hot oil, a handful at a time. Once oil has finished foaming, about 2 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove sweet potato from wok. Drain immediately on paper towel and season lightly with sea salt. When cooled store in a dry airtight container.
15. For the Crispy Thai Basil, add basil leaves to oil and fry for about 30 seconds. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel.
16. For the Fried Fish, score the fillets to the bone and season generously with sea salt. Dust in rice flour, ensuring entire fish is coated.
17. Carefully slide the fish, head first, into the oil. Using a steel wok turner, spoon hot oil over the top of the fish for 8-10 minutes. Carefully turn the fish over and fry for 5-6 minutes. Carefully lift out and set aside to drain on paper towel. Transfer to a serving platter standing upright.
18. To serve, warm sauce gently and spoon over snapper. Garnish with fish floss, ground glutinous rice, sweet potato shreds and crispy Thai basil leaves. Fish with herbs, finely shredded lime leaf and finger lime pearls. Serve coconut rice on the side.
As featured on MasterChef Australia: Appliances & Recipes
Want to bring the powerful and innovative appliances featured in the MasterChef kitchen into your own home? Shop a selection of the top cooking tools online or at your local Harvey Norman store, including the Tefal Oleoclean Deep Fryer with Digital Timer.
Having a kitchen powered by the latest appliances means you’re also going to want recipes to cook! To get you started, check out our selection of the best MasterChef Australia recipes of the season.