Braised Yellow Croaker Fish with Garlic and Tofu (豆腐蒜子炆黃花魚)

This braised yellow croaker fish with garlic and tofu dish taste wonderfully and goes perfectly with a bowl of steamed rice.

Ever tried yellow croaker fish (黃花魚)? The flesh is quite tender and delicate. It’s often used in Chinese and Korean cooking, highly praised by Asians. I often like to pan-fry the whole fish and dip with some soy sauce. It’s simple but delicious. Yellow croaker fish is easily found in any Asian grocers or fish markets.

In Chinese cooking, sautéd or fried garlic cloves are often used to make stew dishes. I tried braising garlic cloves with pan-fried yellow croaker fish in ground bean sauce. My family was so pleased with its results.

The sweet aroma of garlic cloves will impart into the sauce subtly, yet won’t overpower the whole dish at all. If the garlic cloves are cooked enough, you may consume them as well if you like. They taste very good.

Braised Yellow Croaker Fish with Garlic and Tofu Recipe

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 1 (about 260 gm) ‎yellow croaker, fresh or frozen
• 4 pcs (about 200 gm) tofu, sliced
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• ½ Tbsp ground bean sauce
• 100 ml chicken stock
• coriander, garnish

Sauce:

• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp corn flour (corn starch)
• ½ tsp sugar
• sesame oil, to taste

Method :

1. Gut and clean the fish. Rinse thoroughly. Wipe dry. Season the fish with salt and white pepper both inside the cavity and on the outside. Lightly coat some corn flour (corn starch) on the fish skin. Shake away the excess flour.
2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the fish until both sides are golden brown. Set aside. Cover to keep warm.
3. In the same pan, heat some oil. Carefully add tofu. Pan-fry until lightly brown. Saute garlic in the middle of the pan. Add ground bean sauce. Stir to combine. Pour in chicken stock. Toss back the fish. Stir in the sauce and cook to preferred consistency. Garnish with coriander. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes：

• Frozen yellow croaker is available at Asian grocers.
• Sprinkle some white pepper on both inside the cavity and on the outside. It helps remove any fishy smell if any.
• By coating the fish with cornflour lightly, it helps the fish skin to brown easily and not easily break apart while pan-frying.
• I found several simple tricks to peel garlic in a few second without any fuss.