Name: Salt And Pepper Fish
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 500 g fish; 5 g ginger; 5 g green onion; 2 lemon slices; 1 tbsp cooking wine; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper powder; Oil (adjust the amount according to the amount of fish); 50 g cornstarch (add more if needed until the fish is evenly coated on both sides); 10 g shredded green and red chili pepper; 5 g diced onion; 10 g salt and pepper seasoning

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Thinking of having fried fish for dinner with the family? Spice it up with traditional Chinese salt and pepper seasoning for an incredible and distinctive flavor. It’s not your typical fried fish as it is bursting with flavor thanks to the variety of seasonings, making it peppery, citrusy, and spicy.

Let’s not forget the perfect finishing touch, the salt and pepper seasoning that adds a hint of earthy and toasty flavors with a bit of sweetness and saltiness.

What Is Salt And Pepper Fish?

Salt and pepper fish is a classic Asian dish that uses marinated fish and is fried to perfection with several seasonings. It’s incredibly versatile since this recipe works for any type of fish you prefer. In my recipe, the fish is marinated with ginger, green onions, lemon slices, cooking wine, salt, and pepper.

Afterward, it is coated with cornstarch and fried until you get that beautiful golden brown color. For extra flavor, the fried fish is stir-fried with chili peppers and diced onions. Lastly, the most important step, sprinkle the fried fish with salt and pepper seasoning.

And no – this isn’t your regular salt and pepper powder. It’s a Chinese seasoning typically made with 6 spices. In my salt and pepper seasoning recipe, this powder mix is made with Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seed, shrimp skin, white sesame, salt, Chinese Five Spice Powder, and paprika.

This seasoning is crucial to this recipe, so I recommend you make it using my recipe or buy it at the supermarket if there is one. After all, it won’t be called salt and pepper fish if you don’t have this ingredient. Otherwise, it will just be your regular fried fish.

Storage And Reheating Tips For Salt And Pepper Fish

After cooking this dish, it is best consumed as soon as possible to savor the crunchy and delectable fish. However, if you have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in a sealed container for up to three days. For better results when reheating, I recommend reheating it in an air fryer or skillet.

Using an air fryer or skillet will make your fried fish crunchy again, but just make sure not to overheat it. Reheat the fish in an air fryer or oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 350°F. If using a skillet, toast it without oil on medium heat until both sides are heated.

If you reheat it in a microwave, it will most likely make it soggy and not recover that crunchy texture. So, reheating in a microwave is the last option.

For fresh uncooked fish, it can be kept in the fridge for up to two days at a temperature of 40°F or below. If you don’t plan on cooking the fish in two days, it is best to store it in the freezer in plastic wrap or foil to prolong its shelf life.

Cooking Suggestions And Alternatives For Salt And Pepper Fish

There are several ways to customize this dish according to your liking. Some ingredients may not be available to you, so I have given some alternatives you can use to swap the main ingredients.

Follow my tips and suggestions below when making this recipe.

Fish – Make this dish with your favorite white fish, which can be whole, pre-cut, or filet. Any fish is fine as long as you can cut it into chunky medium-sized pieces. Some fish suggestions are tilapia, hair tail, red snapper, cod, and halibut. In my recipe, I use ribbonfish with 45-degree cut marks on each side. The cut marks should not be too deep to prevent the fish from breaking. The purpose of cutting the fish at this angle is to allow it to absorb all the wonderful flavors of the seasonings. It also makes it more appealing with its decorative touch of line marks.
Marinade:The marinade for the fish is a blend of ginger, green onions, lemon slices, cooking wine, salt, and pepper. With these ingredients, the fish gets its peppery and sweet flavors from the ginger and the mild oniony taste of the green onions. The lemon slices add a citrusy kick while the cooking wine enhances the overall flavor. Each ingredient of the marinade can be substituted. You can swap fresh ginger with ginger powder, green onions with regular onions, lemon slices with lemon juice, and cooking wine with alcohol-free red wine or red wine vinegar.
Cornstarch: The role of cornstarch is to make the skin crispier and thicker, giving you that satisfying crunch. It is generally fine to make this recipe without cornstarch, but the skin will shrink and the texture will be less crunchy. If you don’t have cornstarch, tapioca flour and potato starch are excellent alternatives to coat the fish. You can also use all-purpose flour or rice flour to create a crunchy exterior.
Cooking oil: After marinating and coating the fish with cornstarch, it is fried with oil in a pan or air fry using an air fryer. The best oil to use is the one with high smoke points, which helps lessen the amount of oil oxidized and can withstand high heat. Oils with high smoke points are sesame, avocado, sunflower, canola, and peanut oil.
Diced onion: After frying the fish, it is stir-fried with some regular onions for extra flavor and texture. Any kind of onion will work well with the recipe with little significant difference in taste. For instance, subtle sweetness and mild flavor can be achieved with red onions. In addition, white onions have a sweeter and more savory taste than yellow onions, which have a deep, strong flavor.
Green and red chili peppers: Chili peppers are also part of the stir-frying step with the diced onions. This ingredient will make the dish spicy and hot. So if you are not a fan of spicy dishes, you can omit this from the stir-frying step. If you like it hot but don’t have chili peppers, you can substitute 1 whole chili pepper with 1/4 tsp chili flakes.
Salt and pepper seasoning: There is no alternative to this seasoning as it is a unique mix of 6 or more spices. Trust me, you don’t want to skip this ingredient since it is the main flavor of the dish. The flavor is indescribable and gives the overall dish an exceptional taste. I suggest making this seasoning yourself from scratch and keeping it in a spice jar or airtight container. Creating this seasoning is going to be worth it since it can be used in countless dishes. Make a large batch of salt and pepper seasoning and use it for the following recipes:
Crispy salt and pepper tofu
Salt and pepper pork chops
Salt and pepper potatoes
Salt and pepper pork
Salt and pepper chicken wings

Get These Essentials To Make Salt And Pepper Fish

The best thing about this recipe is that it requires only a few basic kitchen items and ingredients. Get started with a non-stick pan for frying and a knife and chopping board for slicing. All ingredients are generally pantry-friendly and are commonly found in your local supermarket.

Kitchenware

Pan
Spatula
Knife
Chopping board

Ingredients

Marinade

500g fish
5g ginger
5g green onion
2 lemon slices
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper powder

Frying

Oil (adjust the amount according to the amount of fish)
50g cornstarch (add more if needed until the fish is evenly coated on both sides)

Stir-Frying

10g shredded green and red chili pepper
5g diced onion
10g salt and pepper seasoning

How To Make Salt And Pepper Fish

The recipe includes four main steps: prepare the fish, marinate for 20 minutes, fry the ingredients, and stir-fry with salt and pepper seasoning. You can watch how I cooked salt and pepper fish through my short tutorial videos on Tiktok and Instagram. Follow these steps and share the results in the comments section below!

Prepare The Fish

Prepare the fish by cleaning it with water and cutting it into square chunks, about 2 to 3 inches wide.

Slice the fish with lines of cut marks at a 45-degree angle and about 2mm deep.

Repeat step 2 on the other side of the fish.

Prepare The Marinade

Place the fish in a bowl or container for the marinade. Then, add 5g ginger, 5g green onion, 2 lemon slices, 1 tbsp cooking wine, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper powder.

Mix the ingredients well and massage them onto the fish to absorb. Marinate for 20 minutes. You can marinate it longer for better absorption of flavors.

Fry The Fish

After marinating the fish, remove all the bits of seasonings used (ginger, green onion, and lemon slices).

Then, coat both sides of the fish with cornstarch. Make sure each side is coated evenly.

Next, prepare the pan for frying by heating the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, fry one side of the fish for a few minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan as you want to cook the sides evenly and prevent each piece from sticking.

Add more oil if needed since the fish will absorb the oil. Then, turn the fish over and fry the other side until golden brown. Both sides should take about 5 minutes or more to cook.

Allow the fish to drain the excess oil with a strainer or paper towel.

Stir-Fry The Fish

In a pan, stir fry 10g shredded green and red chili pepper and 5g diced onion. Stir-fry until fragrant.

Then, add the fried fish and sprinkle the salt and pepper seasoning.

Mix the ingredients well until both sides are well-coated. Serve while fresh and enjoy!

Salt And Pepper Fish

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings

Calories 382 kcal