Duration
1 hour
Serves
4
This recipe is a riff on Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The tapioca coating provides better crunch than all-purpose flour, and the aroma of Chinese five spices is mouthwatering and noteworthy. This recipe will work with any white-fleshed fish.
You can find tapioca flour or starch—they’re interchangeable—at the Asian grocery store or in specialty flour sections at your local grocery store. You can also substitute with corn starch.
Ingredients
- ½ lb. walleye, cod, or similar
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ cup tapioca flour/starch (or corn starch)
- 1 tbs. water
- Oil for deep frying
- Sweet chili sauce
- Lemon wedges
Also works with
Preparation
Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Chinese five-spice, sugar, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, egg white, and cornstarch. Add fish and stir to combine. Refrigerate covered for 30 minutes.
Heat oil to 350°F. Meanwhile, pour tapioca starch into a wide, shallow bowl and stir in a tablespoon of water to form small lumps. Coat each piece of fish well in the starch—note that the fish must be wet for the starch to stick, so make sure they’re well coated in marinade or if needed, add a small splash of water if the fish looks dry.
Fry fish in batches to avoid sticking and crowding the pan. Fry until the coating is set and becomes hardened. Set aside par-fried fish to drain as you fry the remaining fish.
Then allow oil to return to temperature and fry fish a second time until crispy and golden. They will look more golden after you take them out of the fryer. Tapioca starch does not brown as well as flour, so don’t expect these popcorn fish to be as browned as traditional fried chicken. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping and lemon wedges on the side.
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Popcorn Fish
Duration
1 hour
Serves
4
This recipe is a riff on Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The tapioca coating provides better crunch than all-purpose flour, and the aroma of Chinese five spices is mouthwatering and noteworthy. This recipe will work with any white-fleshed fish.
You can find tapioca flour or starch—they’re interchangeable—at the Asian grocery store or in specialty flour sections at your local grocery store. You can also substitute with corn starch.
Ingredients
- ½ lb. walleye, cod, or similar
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ cup tapioca flour/starch (or corn starch)
- 1 tbs. water
- Oil for deep frying
- Sweet chili sauce
- Lemon wedges
Also works with
Preparation
Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Chinese five-spice, sugar, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, egg white, and cornstarch. Add fish and stir to combine. Refrigerate covered for 30 minutes.
Heat oil to 350°F. Meanwhile, pour tapioca starch into a wide, shallow bowl and stir in a tablespoon of water to form small lumps. Coat each piece of fish well in the starch—note that the fish must be wet for the starch to stick, so make sure they’re well coated in marinade or if needed, add a small splash of water if the fish looks dry.
Fry fish in batches to avoid sticking and crowding the pan. Fry until the coating is set and becomes hardened. Set aside par-fried fish to drain as you fry the remaining fish.
Then allow oil to return to temperature and fry fish a second time until crispy and golden. They will look more golden after you take them out of the fryer. Tapioca starch does not brown as well as flour, so don’t expect these popcorn fish to be as browned as traditional fried chicken. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping and lemon wedges on the side.