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.

[RussH]

That looks absolutely fantastic.

Here's my recipe.

Step 1 - Eat at same Chinese restaurant for 10 years.
Step 2 - Bring lots of fish.
Step 3 - Give half of fish to Chinese Chef and tell them you want other half General Tso.
Step 4 - Return 30 minutes later and retrieve fish.
Step 5 - Go home and enjoy. I like mine with fried rice.

[HookAFattie]

Awesome! Great recipe .. but looks a bit too complicated for my skill set(going to have to hand that recipe over to someone with more patience/skills than I)

Russ has a much better idea, I might try that one first!

[jmurr711]

dat looks mad good!

[Chris G]

Russ & HAF, it's not as hard as it looks. Try it. Trust me.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Wow, you have gone soft on us already haven't you Chris? First modeling now cooking..... What next how to press wild flowers or maybe some poetry??

Just kidding Chris and the recipe sounds awesome. About the only thing I like Chinese is Genral Tso so this works well for me.

[Chris1129]

This recipe is phenomenal. The whole family enjoyed! Thanks for posting.

[aduma1107]

So I copied and pasted the General Tso's recipe and emailed to my wife the other day. Tonight I came home to find a heaping plate of GT Fluke. It really is a phenomenal dish!! Thanks for the recipe!