General Tso Fluke

[Chris G]

I've been wanting to make a General Tso fish recipe for a long time now, but could never find one that wasn't too sweet. Finally came across a good base recipe & tweeked it a bit. Best part about it, is that you could use this for any kind of firm fish (ie: blackfish, bass etc).

I think it was pretty damn good & i'll post the ammended recipe below in case you guys & gals are interested in trying it. I made this with 3 keeper sized fluke (6 filets). There's enough for 2 big plates for my wife & I, a small plate for the baby & 3 tupperwares full of leftovers.

General Tso’s Fluke

6 Boneless Fluke Filets
3 cups cornstarch
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb sized piece of FRESH ginger, peeled & cut into discs
1+ tablespoon white sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish

Marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
4 egg whites

Sauce:
1 cup chicken stock
5 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoon rice vinegar
4 teaspoon hoisin sauce
4 teaspoon chili paste
4 teaspoon sesame oil
4 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the fish in the marinade mixture and let sit for 10-30 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 4 teaspoons of cornstarch. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set the sauce aside.

3. In a large bowl or deep plate, toss the 3 cups cornstarch with the salt and pepper. Coat the marinated fish in the cornstarch and shake off any excess before frying.

4. Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer (very important to have a fry/candy thermometer). Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of fish cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on a rack over paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the fish.

5. Drain the leftover oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.

6. Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chili's, ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Return the fish to the wok and stir well to coat with sauce. A rubber spatula is best for this task. Try not to break up the fish as it will be fragile. Transfer the fish to a serving dish. Garnish with white sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with jasmine rice.

Note: I served this with blanched broccoli that I hit in a red hot wok with a little veg/sesame oil, salt, pepper, & a dash of chinese 5 spice & a dash of rice wine.