Salt and Pepper Nine Belly Fish
Every time I go to the seafood market, I always buy a pound of Nine Belly Fish, affordable and delicious! It can be braised with tofu or steamed, but the family's favorite is this salt and pepper preparation—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Be sure to eat it while it's hot.
Ingredients
Steps
First, clean the Nine Belly Fish and remove the bones. Simply take out the large central bone; the small spines become crispy when fried and do not affect the taste at all.
Mix two eggs, two tablespoons of sweet potato starch (preferably homemade sweet potato starch for crisper results), one tablespoon of flour, and an appropriate amount of salt.
Make the batter thicker for crispier results. (I can make it crispy no matter what starch I use!) Fry on medium heat, and once all pieces are fried, it's best to re-fry them briefly over high heat! If not double-frying, make sure to fry them to a golden color in one go!
Sprinkle with salt and pepper when serving and eat immediately, as the fish meat is juicy and will soften if left for too long. (Salt and pepper is a must; go light on salt in the batter, and adding salt and pepper before serving makes it irresistibly tasty.)
Finished dish