No-fry Sweet Sour Tilapia
Easy yet bursting with flavors and colors, tilapia is braised in a very basic sweet-sour sauce with ginger and chilies thrown in. This no-fry sweet sour tilapia requires less work than escabeche.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 1 tilapia - 600 to 700 grams, scaled and gutted
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 slices ginger
- 1 small handful cilantro - roughly chopped
- 4 stalks scallions - cut into 1-inch lengths then finely sliced vertically
- 2 bird's eye chilies - finely chopped or sliced
Instructions
- Rinse the tilapia under the tap making sure to clean the cavity.
- Wipe the tilapia with a kitchen towel.
- Score the fish diagonally on both sides — twice on each side if the fish is rather large.
- Rub the salt and pepper all over the fish, including the cavity.
- In a pan that can hold the fish comfortably, mix together the rice vinegar, honey, fish sauce, ginger and one bird's eye chili (if your pan is large and the sauce is less than ¼-inch deep, add a little water).
- Bring to the boil then gently lay the fish in the sauce.
- Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 20 to 30 minutes (see notes after the recipe).
- When the fish is done, use a large spatula to transfer it to a serving platter.
- Pour the remaining sauce over, discarding the ginger.
- Scatter the scallions and cilantro over the fish, sprinkle with bird's eye chilies and serve at once.
Cook’s Notes
Do not be tempted to remove the cover and peek while the fish cooks. The fish is meant to cook in the little sauce and its own juices and you really don’t want any of it evaporating needlessly.
Updated from a recipe originally published in November 11, 2008
Updated from a recipe originally published in November 11, 2008If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
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