Chinese Lemon Fish

Deep-fried version

Of such dish the fish fillet is normally dipped with egg-flour mixture and deep-fried first. Since I intend to eat it on the next day and consider the crust turning soft, the fillet (lightly floured) is simply pan-fried. Honestly, it tastes superb.

Also, I used some flour to thicken the sauce so that the consistency is able to last longer.

Pan-fried version

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 fish fillets with firm flesh, I use hake/merluza
• salt
• flour
• veg oil

for the sauce:

• 250 ml water
• a small pinch of chicken powder
• 30 - 50 ml lemon juice
• 2 slice of lemon rind
• a tiny slice of ginger
• 3 Tbsps white sugar
• 1/8 tsp margirine
• 2 Tsps flour, dissolved with spoonfuls of water
• 2 tsps cornstarch, dissolved with little water
• (optional) a very small pinch of turmeric (Indian spice, just for coloring)

Steps:

• Please do the sauce (as follow) before cooking the fish.
• To make the sauce:
• Bring a pot of water, sugar, lemon rind to boil, then add about 30 ml of lemon juice, lower to simmer. And a pinch of chicken powder, a tiny pinch of tumeric and the flour mixture into the sauce, taste and adjust the sweet/sour taste, simmer for 15 minutes.
• Discard the lemon rind and ginger, keep the sauce simmering, add the conrstarch water until your desired consistency. Turn off the heat, stir in margirine until it's totally dissolved.
• To cook the fish:
• Spoon some flour in a wide-base bowl, add a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Pre-heat some oil in a skillet
• Sprinkle a bit of salt over the fillets, roll them over the flour mixture. Pan-fry them over medium heat until they're done.
• If consume the dish next day, store the fish and sauce seperately. After re-heating both, pour the sauce over the fish right before serving.

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