1. Clean the fish
When buying fish from the market, most sellers have already cleaned it for you. However, when you bring it home, you need to clean the fish and remove the black membrane inside its belly. If you don’t clean it properly, the fish can become smelly. Also, the scales of the fish can also contribute to the fishy smell, so it’s important to scale the fish before cooking.
2. Clean and dry the fish
After cleaning the fish, it’s important to let it dry, so that when you fry it, it won’t splatter and the fish skin won’t break. 90% of the time, if the fish skin is not crispy, it’s because you fried the fish when it was still wet. Use a towel or paper to pat dry the surface and inside the fish to ensure the crispiest fried fish.
3. Be cautious with salt
Many people believe that rubbing salt on the skin of the fish can help remove the fishy odor. However, it’s best to only add a little salt inside the fish’s belly, instead of rubbing it onto the skin. Rubbing salt onto the skin can cause the skin to break, and the dish won’t look as appealing.
Furthermore, after drying and adding salt to the fish, you should sprinkle some flour onto the skin to ensure a crispy and evenly golden outer layer, while keeping the inside tender.
4. Rub ginger on the bottom of the pan
Rubbing ginger on the bottom of the pan before frying the fish will create a protective layer, preventing the fish from directly touching the pan. This will help minimize sticking to the pan.
5. Don’t flip the fish too much
Before frying the fish, make sure the pan is dry and free of water. If there’s water in the pan, it will make the fish skin less crispy. The amount of oil should be evenly distributed, so if the fish is submerged in oil, be mindful of this as well.
When the oil is about 60% hot, add the fish to fry, and don’t let the oil get too hot. If the oil is too hot, the fish will burn. Flip the fish only when the surface turns a beautiful golden color. Flipping it too early and too often can cause the fish to break apart.
Some people use tools to flip the fish to prevent it from breaking or sticking to the pan.
Wishing you success in applying these tips for frying fish!