Try changing your family’s menu with 2 ways to make crispy and delicious fried tilapia, which are incredibly simple to prepare. Let’s cook with TasteVN in the kitchen right away to prepare these 2 fried dishes for the family!
1. Whole crispy fried tilapia
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Preparation
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Whole Crispy Fried Tilapia Serves 4 people
Tilapia 1 kg (large) Rice noodles 1 kg Rice paper 30 pieces Prepared dipping sauce 75 ml (150ml bottle) Fresh herbs for serving 100 gr (lettuce/basil/ Vietnamese mint/perilla/ Vietnamese coriander) Pineapple 1 piece (diced) Cucumber 2 pieces Garlic 3 cloves Bird’s eye chili 1 piece Lime juice 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 100 ml Salt a little Sugar 2 tablespoons
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapple
- Choose pineapples that have a bright yellow color from the base to the tip, with the crown still green. These are ripe fruits that will be sweet and delicious.
- Choose round and short pineapples as they will have more flesh compared to long ones.
- Select pineapples with large and sparse eyes, as this indicates that the fruit is mature and naturally ripe, without being chemically treated.
- Choose fresh and delicious pineapples that are neither too hard nor too soft; when you press your finger into them, there should be no indentation.
- Additionally, avoid selecting fruits that have a slightly sour fermented smell. These are overripe fruits.
How to prepare whole fried tilapia
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Prepare the tilapia
After buying the tilapia, remove the gut and liver, then rinse it with 1 tablespoon of salt to eliminate the fishy smell.
Tip: For fried fish, to make the skin crispy, you should not scrape off the scales during preparation.
Then wash it again with clean water and let it drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
You can buy a whole pineapple to peel, cut out the eyes, or buy pre-peeled pineapple to save time.
Take 1/3 of the pineapple and chop it finely, while slicing the remaining part into thin pieces suitable for eating.
Quick way to peel pineapple without cutting out the eyes
- First, cut the pineapple vertically from top to bottom into 4 equal parts.
- Continue to slice along the length of the pineapple piece, then stop at the end of the fruit and cut firmly to separate the flesh and discard the skin.
- Do not cut too close to the skin to avoid leaving any eyes of the pineapple. Finally, cut into small pieces according to your usage needs.
See more: 5 simple ways to peel pineapple
Fresh herbs like lettuce, basil, mint, and Vietnamese coriander should be cleaned by removing yellowed leaves and any pests (if present), then rinsed thoroughly with water and allowed to drain.
Finely chop garlic and chili. Wash the cucumber and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
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Frying fish
Place a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil and heat it up, then drop the fish in and fry on high heat for 10 minutes, then flip the fish and fry for another 5 – 7 minutes before turning off the heat.
Tip:
- It is recommended to fry the fish submerged in oil, at medium heat to ensure the fish cooks evenly, is crispy and does not burn.
- When frying, avoid flipping the fish too many times as it will make the fish fall apart.
- To prevent oil from splattering while frying the fish, make sure to dry the fish thoroughly before frying.
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Preparing dipping sauce
Add 75ml of prepared fermented fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of hot water, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a bowl, then stir well until all ingredients are dissolved and mixed together.
Finally, add minced garlic, chili, and pineapple, mix well, and it’s done.
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Finished Product
The whole deep-fried tilapia after completion has a beautiful golden color. The fish meat is crispy on the outside, firm on the inside, and when served with rice paper and fresh vegetables, dipped in sweet and sour dipping sauce, it enhances the flavor of the dish many times over.
2. Battered Deep-Fried Tilapia
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Battered Deep-Fried Tilapia Serves 4
Tilapia 1 fish (about 1kg) Chicken eggs 2 eggs Chopped shallots 1 tablespoon Lemon 1/2 fruit Chopped ginger 1 tablespoon Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Ground pepper 1 teaspoon MSG 2 teaspoons Breadcrumbs 100 gr Cooking oil 100 ml
How to choose fresh and delicious chicken eggs
- For industrial chicken eggs, the outer shell is usually dark brown, uniformly colored, without cracks and no black spots. In contrast, eggs that have been stored for a long time tend to have a pale shell and more black spots appear.
- You can use your hand to feel the surface of the egg shell; if the surface is rough and slightly textured, it is a fresh chicken egg, while a smooth surface indicates that the egg has been stored for quite a while.
- You can hold the egg and gently shake it close to your ear to listen. If you hear a sound, the egg has been stored for a long time; the louder the noise (the contents inside moving), the more likely the egg is spoiled or the egg is still being incubated by the chicken. Conversely, if there is no sound, it is a fresh chicken egg.
How to prepare Fried Tilapia with Breading
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Prepare and fillet the fish
After purchasing the tilapia, you need to scale it, gut it, and remove the internal organs. Then, use sliced lemon to gently rub the surface of the fish to remove the slime.
After cleaning, use a sharp knife to cut deep into both sides of the fish’s gills. Next, make a deep cut along the back of the fish.
Use the knife to cut deeply and then use your hands to separate the fish meat into two halves.
After separating the fish meat, cut off the small bones along the back and the belly fat of the fish.
Once filleted, cut the fish meat into bite-sized pieces.
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Marinate the fish
After preparing the fish, proceed to marinate it with 1 tablespoon of minced shallots, 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, and 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate.
Mix well and let the fish absorb the seasoning for about 25 – 30 minutes.
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Dip in flour
After about 30 minutes, crack 2 eggs into the bowl with the fish and mix well.
Prepare 100g breadcrumbs, then roll the fish evenly in the breadcrumbs.
Tip: Adding eggs to the fish helps increase adhesion and makes the fish coat more evenly with the breadcrumbs.
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Fry the fish
Heat a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil and heat it, then drop each piece of fish into the oil and fry until golden and crispy on both sides, then remove and let drain.
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Final Product
Deep-fried battered tilapia served with chili sauce and a bit of fresh vegetables will be extremely delicious. The crispy outer layer, soft and sweet fish meat inside that is not dry, combined with the spicy taste of chili will surely satisfy even the pickiest diners.
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Tilapia
- You should choose round and plump tilapia, usually male tilapia, intact, with few scales coming off. These fish will yield a lot of meat, and the fish meat will be firmer and fattier.
- Choose fish with bright red gills, clear eyes, and no white spots or blood clots on the body, and the body should be intact without any skin wounds.
- It is advisable to choose larger fish, that feel firm when held, and if pressed lightly, the fish meat should be elastic and not mushy.
Steps to prepare tilapia that is not fishy and clean from slime
- Step 1: Wash the tilapia you bought 2 – 3 times with clean water.
- Step 2: Thoroughly clean the inside of the fish’s belly, remove the gills, and make sure to clean out all the bile and entrails.
- Step 3: Use a knife to cut off the fish fins and scrape off the scales.
- Step 4: Use a little salt (or lemon) to scrub the body and belly of the fish.
- Step 5: Soak the fish in saltwater (you can add some vinegar or a little alcohol).
- Step 6: Rinse the fish 2 – 3 times and let it drain.
See details: Tips to easily remove the fishy smell of fish
See more:
So you have pocketed 2 delicious recipes for the dish fried tilapia that is crispy and delicious. Hurry up and show your cooking skills in the kitchen now. Wish you success!
*Source of reference for the recipe and images from YouTube channels Câu Cá Sen Hồng and Food Girl.
