Learn how to make a popular seafood dish from China, sweet and sour fish. This Chinese seafood is incredibly delicious and easy to make.
This homestyle meal (known as Tang Cu Yu (糖醋鱼)), would be the perfect addition to your family dinner table, any weeknight or for a gathering or fun occasion.
Why You'll Love this Chinese Seafood Recipe
Sweet and sour fish is one of the most popular seafood dishes you can find at Chinese restaurants.
Today I am going to show you how to make good restaurant-style sweet and sour fish fillets. This dish tastes similar or even better than take-out, and is much healthier and cheaper!
The Ingredients:
This dish consists of white fish that is smothered in a Cantonese-inspired sweet and sour sauce.
To add fresh colors to the dish I added in some diced red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and yellow onions.
Some people opt to add pineapple into this dish. I sometimes do, but other times I like the dish to have a little less sweet of a taste.
The Best Fish to Use
In this recipe, I used cod fillets that I marinated with a classic Chinese marinade sauce.
I also added lightly beaten eggs and corn starch flour in the wok prior to adding the deep-fried the fillets, which I then cooked until golden browned in color.
Haddock, catfish, pollock, or similar mild white fish can also be used to make this recipe.
Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce:
This homemade sweet and sour sauce is absolutely amazing and customizable.
It has the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess from pineapple juice, vinegar, and sugar.
It's also garlicky and gingery. You can even use the same recipe for the sweet and sour sauce to make sweet and sour chicken or sweet and sour pork!
One of the best things about this homemade sweet and sour sauce is that you can adjust the sweetness or tanginess by adding extra sugar or vinegar until you reach the desired taste.
This sauce uses 100% pineapple juice as one of the main ingredients.
The pineapple juice gives natural sweetness and tanginess to the dish, which also offers some health benefits. I think it's better than using all refined sugar like many restaurants do when making this sauce.
Easy Cooking Process
The cooking process of this dish is pretty easy and quick.
- First, marinate the fish, then mix in the eggs and flour.
- Second, deep fry the fish until golden brown. This process runs pretty quickly, just be ready for some oil splatter 🙂
- Next, make the homemade sweet and sour sauce.
- Lastly, you will need to cook the other ingredients, then add fish and sauce.
Homemade Chinese Food Without MSG
When planning a recipe like this I think of different ways to make the dish healthier, which oftentimes actually makes it taste better too.
I eat much less deep-fried foods than I used to and also try to cut back my MSG consumption.
This fish dish is so delicious, and when you try recipes like this and can say “wow, it tastes better without MSG”, you’ll never want to go back.
While this recipe isn’t as healthy as a salad you’re still getting some veggies and fish, and the sauce that I use has much less sugar than most out there, which lets the other flavors shine through.
Check Out More Asian Recipes:
- HUNAN BEEF WITH CUMIN
- INSTANT POT MONGOLIAN BEEF
- SINGAPORE NOODLES (XING ZHOU MI FEN)
- GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN (SWEET AND SAVORY DEEP-FRIED CHICKEN)
- VEGETABLE STIR FRY WITH TOFU
- BEST PORK TENDERLOIN STIR FRY
- ASIAN GROUND BEEF STIR FRY
- THAI SALAD DRESSING
- MINCED PORK NOODLES WITH HOISIN SAUCE
- CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH MINCED PORK
- SHRIMP AND GREEN PEAS STIR FRY
- SESAME NOODLES (MA JIANG MIAN)
Sweet and Sour Fish
Ingredients
- 1 pound cod fillets or any white fish of your choice , (cut into an ⅛ inch thick slices)
Marinade:
- 1 egg, (lightly beaten)
- ½ tbsp Shaoxing wine , (or use dry sherry)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ tsp cooking oil , (such as vegetable, peanut, or canola oil)
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1 cup 100% pineapple juice
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch , ( mix with 1 tbsp water to thicken the sauce)
Stir Fry:
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ¾ cup diced green bell pepper
- ¾ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ medium yellow onion , (diced)
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place the fish fillets in a bowl. Add the Shaoxing wine and salt, mix well. Mix in the egg and flour until the fish slices are fully coated. Add the oil. Set aside.
- Heat at least 1 cup of oil in a wok over high heat. Dip a chopstick into the oil. If the oil starts steadily bubbling, then the oil is hot enough for frying. Working in batches, use chopsticks to drop the fish slices into the wok one by one. Deep-fry the fish slices until lightly golden. Do not overcook the fish. Remove the cooked fish from the pan, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all sweet and sour ingredients. Set aside.
- In a wok, heat 1 tsp of oil over high heat, cook garlic and ginger until fragrant for about 10 seconds. Whisk in the sweet and sour sauce into the wok, simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened and glossy for about 5 minutes (or until have just enough sauce to wrap around the crispy pieces of fish, about 1¼ cup of sauce). Adjust seasoning with extra sugar and/or vinegar if needed or until you reach your desired taste. Remove from the heat, set aside.
- In a clean wok, heat about 1½ tbsp of oil over high heat. Cook the diced onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper until tender. Add the fish slices back into the skillet, then pour in the sweet and sour sauce. Toss to combine. Remove from the heat and serve. Or for a crispier result, you can pour the sweet and sour sauce with vegetable mixture over the fish before serving.
melissa chapman
That fish dish looks so good and the sauce very special. I know my son would love a meal like this beause he loves fish and Chinese food
Amber Myers
I do love a good stir fry! My husband and kids will enjoy this. They do gobble up their seafood.
cait
we love a good stir fry in our house and this recipe is one id be excited to make for my family this week!
Rena McDaniel
I have never thought of using fish instead of chicken but I'm fascinated! Pinning! I have to try it.
adriana
I am a super fan of sweet and sour dishes and yours looks lovely! Besides, it is so easy to make and a good way to introduce fish to the diet.
Tasheena
This recipe looks so savory. Looking forward to making this for my family.
Nancy L
I've been trying to get my family to eat more fish and this might just work. They love sweet and sour chicken so why not use fish instead?
Catalina
Oh my goodness! How good this dish looks! This is a brilliant idea for dinner!
Lynndee
I haven't tried preparing nor have eaten sweet and sour cod before. Just saved your recipe. It looks good and I can't wait to try it.
Lisa Martin
This looks amazing! I am trying to add more fish dishes throughout our week, and this will help me keep it interesting and delicious!
Beth
I haven't tried sweet and sour fish before, but it looks delicious! Pinning for future reference!
Ruth I
You have the best recipes! I've been craving for this since this year started but I rarely eat out. This looks so delicious!
Tiffany Grau
I've never thought of doing a sweet and sour fish before! Brilliant idea!
Marysa
I have never had a dish like this before, and it sounds delicious! I like how versatile stir fry can be.
Lizzie Lau
I love sweet and sour fish. I've never made it at home, but I buy haddock and mahi mahi at Costco and they'd probably work great with this recipe.
Rika Livingston
Thanks so much Ruth!
Rika Livingston
I think you should try to make it at home 🙂 So easy!
Rika Livingston
It's very similar to sweet sour chicken, try it out!
Swathi
These are delicious sweet and sour fish. Perfect meal.
Megan
Deliciously authentic
Rika Livingston
Hi Megan,
Thanks for sharing your feedback! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Tamara Nikolajew
I made this today. Easy recipe and very tasty. I used sea bass and it came out perfect! Thank you!
Rika Livingston
Hi Tamara,
I appreciate you sharing your feedback! I am glad that this sweet and sour fish turned out well for you! The sea bass sounds really good. I will have to try it next time!
Best,
Rika
Christiana
Made this for Sunday dinner with catfish. It’s amazing. Taste like it was bought at a restaurant.
Rika Livingston
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Christiana! I am glad that this sweet and sour fish recipe turned out well for you!