Deep Fried Threadfin Fish ( Ikan Senangin ) With Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Recently I bought quite a lot of Threadfin Fish or locally known as Ikan Senangin as I have grown to love this fish.  Good in curries and savoury dishes like the one above.  I used balsamic vinegar as a sauce for this deep fried Threadfin fish instead of using rice vinegar to give this dish the sweet and sour taste. I learned to slice the fish at an angle from YouTube ,it not only helps to cook the fish faster and give extra crispness to the fish, it gives a good presentation too when you have guests to dinner.

This simple to prepare and flavor packed dish is a to keep in my kitchen menu. Even hubby Wildboar who is not a fish eater loves this dish, the sauce and especially the crispness of the fish meat.  Balsamic vinegar taste good in salad and dishes like the above.  The trick is to add a tsp of brown sugar to the balsamic vinegar and tada you got the best sauce for fish dish or dressing for salad.  Try it to believe me :)

I learned to slice the fish at an angle from youtube

it not only helps to cook the fish faster and give extra

crispness to the fish, it gives a good presentation too

season the fish with sea salt and coat with corn starch before

putting into the hot oil for deep frying

I love the extra crispness when the fish is slice

at an angle :)

once the fish is done, prepare the sauce for the

fish. Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar

and a thickening sauce is the magic ingredients

for the sauce

Deep Fried Threadfin Fish  With Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Threadfin Fish / Ikan Senangin / Ma Yau Yue from fish monger - cleaned
1 tsp of sea salt
corn starch for coating

vegetable oil for deep frying

Deep frying Fish

1. Slice the fish body at an angle , rub sea salt all over the fish , sprinkle corn starch on the body of fish. Heat oil ( enough to cover the fish ) over high heat. Once the oil is smoking, put in the fish on its belly and deep fried till crispy on the outside and cooked inside.  Lift it up and place on paper towel to remove excess oil.  Once that is done, place the deep fried fish on a serving plate, while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
some grated carrots
1 clove of garlic - sliced
2 bird's eye chilli - sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp of brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp of corn starch and 2 tbsp of water - to make thickening
1 tbsp of rice bran oil

Prepare the sauce:

Saute garlic slices and chilli with 1 tbsp of rice bran oil in a non stick pan till fragrant, add in balsamic vinegar, brown sugar,  and thickening . Once the sauce thickens, add in salt to taste and
grated carrots.  Dish up and pour sauce over the deep fried fish.  Serve immediately to enjoy the crispness of the fish.

Note:  If you have pickled ginger, you can add to the sauce or as a side dish for the fish.

 Enjoy !

Masak Lemak Chili Padi Ikan Senangin

I could not believe  that I seriously cooked this dish for dinner.  I would normally order this dish from my office canteen when I was still working then.  This is not a planned one.  It was a moment craving and by being adventurous enough to try cooking this dish, it has taken my homecooking to another level. I seldom cook malay dishes besides nasi lemak. And having said that, I was happy that I cooked this dish.  Googled internet for a good one and found most of them doesnt have shallots .  So I prepared my own list and added shallots to it. Because I believe that shallots will add flavor and sweetness to the gravy.

I bought a lot of Ikan Senangin ( Threadfin Fish ) when it was in season the past one month and have stored them in the freezer. Ikan Senangin is perfect for this dish.  Homegrown turmeric made it even more special and delicious .  I have no regrets cooking this dish. It was awesome in taste and so appetising, even my Wildboar loves it.  That speaks volume as WB is not into fish. He is more a meat person than a fish person.  He loves the gravy which is tasty and delicious.  Will be trying out other Malay and Indonesian dishes in the future :)  

Ikan Senangin ( threadfin fish )

tip: add in salt before the gravy boils

to prevent the coconut milk from separating into oil 

( pecah santan )

just a few ingredients and a flavorful and

delicious dish for dinner

love it and will definitely cook this dish again

glad that Wildboar loves the gravy so much that

he asked to cook again, and more gravy since he doesn't eat fish.

I can cook this using chicken, it will be awesome too for sure.

Masak Lemak Chili Padi Ikan Senangin

ingredients: 

1 whole Ikan Senangin -  cut into few pieces, rub salt on pieces

(A)
1/2 tbsp of  pounded fresh turmeric 

1 stalk of lemongrass - take the white part and crush it

2 pieces of tamarind slices

1/2 cup santan mix with 2 cups water

1 or 2 tsp of sea salt

3 shallots -pound

10 chili padi - pound

Method:

Put ingredients (A) into wok and simmer under medium  low heat.  Once the gravy boils, put in the pieces of fish and continues to simmer till the fish are cooked through.  Off heat and  serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!