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Fish fillet is stir-fried in aromatic black bean sauce. It’s an easy fish recipe perfect for weekday cooking.
If you are looking for an easy, tasty, and quick fish recipe to prepare, I would recommend this. One of the things I like about cooking with seafood is that it doesn’t take long to prepare. In fact, you want to make sure you don’t overcook it.
What fish to use
You can use any white fish fillet you like. Tilapia and catfish are abundant here. I use tilapia fillet in this recipe. If you live in Asia, you would have more access to different variety of local fish such as snakehead fish, silver catfish, snapper, etc.
Special Ingredient
This recipe uses black bean sauce. This can be easily found at any Asian grocery store. The one that I use has garlic added to it, which I like. This black bean sauce adds savory and umami to the dish. A little goes a long way too. If you absolutely cannot find it, the closest thing you can use is probably the Japanese red miso or mixed miso. Miso is made with fermented soybeans so the taste may not be quite the same, but it also adds savory and umami notes to the dish
How to cook fish fillet with black bean sauce
1. In a large mixing bowl, add salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Toss the fish in the mixture and let them marinate for 15 minutes while you prepare other things
2. Combine all the ingredients for the seasonings in a bowl. Preheat a large skillet or wok. Add cooking oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and red chilis (if using) and stir fry for about 1 minute
3. Add the black bean paste and saute for another minute
4. Add water, seasonings, and the white part of the green onions. Bring to a simmer
5. Add the fish fillet and let them cook until they turn a white color. Stir them gently but don’t stir too much that you break the fillet apart
6. The sauce will thicken too because there is cornstarch in the fish fillet marinade
7. Have a taste and adjust the seasonings of the sauce to your preference. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with rice
Did you make this stir-fried fish with black bean sauce recipe?
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Stir-fried Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
To marinate fish fillet:
- 500 gr fish fillet see notes
- ¼ tsp salt
- â…› tsp ground white pepper
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
For cooking:
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 200 ml water
Aromatics:
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 10 gr ginger grated
- 2 stalks green onion separate the greens from the white parts
- 1 bird's eye chilis optional, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp black bean sauce
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Salt to taste
Garnish:
- Green parts of green onion
Instructions
Marinate the fish:
- In a large mixing bowl, add salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Toss the fish in the mixture and let them marinate for 15 minutes while you prepare other things
- Combine all the ingredients for the seasonings in a bowl
Cooking:
- Preheat a large skillet or wok. Add cooking oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and red chilis (if using) and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the black bean paste and saute for another minute. Add water, seasonings, and the white part of the green onions. Bring to a simmer
- Add the fish fillet and let them cook until they turn a white color. Stir them gently but don't stir too much that you break the fillet apart. The sauce will thicken too because there is cornstarch in the fish fillet marinade
- Have a taste and adjust the seasonings of the sauce to your preference. Turn off the heat, garnish with the green parts of the green onion and transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with rice
