Golden Pomfret in Spicy Tomato Sauce

The pan-fried golden pomfret is so meaty, going so well with the delicious spicy tomato sauce, with a touch of sweet and tangy taste. This dish is very appetizing and comforting. It can be served with a bowl of steamed rice.

I’ve tried to cook golden pomfret with Sriracha sauce and tomato sauce several times. My family loved this dish very much.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’d have known that I like eating fish very much. Yes, I’d have fish at least two to three times a week.  Lucky me, I spotted some very fresh golden pomfret on sale at a nearby Asian supermarket.

Golden pomfret contains lots of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, very good for your heart and eye health. It’s quite meaty, yet without any small bones. It’s very convenient to dig in.

It looks very different from the white or black pomfret. The fish skin is golden in colour. The fish meat is quite thick.

While pan-frying, golden pomfret will release some oil, just like salmon. Do give more pan-frying time, the fish skin will become very crunchy and fragrant.

If you haven’t tried golden pomfret before, give it a go.

Golden Pomfret in Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe

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

Ingredients:

• 1 (about 520 gm) golden pomfret (金鯧魚)
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• corn flour /corn starch, for coating
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 tomatoes, cut into wedges and deseeded
• ½ cup water
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 3 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 20 gm brown slab sugar (片糖), roughly chopped
• 2 stalks spring onion, sectioned

Thickening:

• 3 tsp corn flour/corn starch
  
• 1 Tbsp water

Method :

1. Gut and clean the fish. (Remark: Or you might ask the fishmonger to gut and clean the fish for you.) Wipe dry with kitchen papers. Season with salt and white pepper on both sides and inside the fish cavity. Lightly coated cornflour on the skin. Shake off the excess.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the fish until both sides are brown. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes to make sure the inside is cooked through. Then remove the lid and cook until the skin is crispy. Set aside and keep warm with cover.
3. In the same pan, add oil. Saute garlic and tomatoes. Pour in the water. Add ketchup, Sriracha sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the tomatoes are softened. Stir in the thickening and cook to your preferred consistency. Add spring onion. Pour the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• Golden pomfret is available at Asian grocers or Asian fish markets. You might use black pomfret, snapper or tilapia instead.
• As the fish meat is quite thick, after pan-frying I cooked it with a lid on to make sure it’s cooked through. Or you might like to use a knife to make two or three cuts on the thickest parts. For better looking, I like to keep the whole fish skin on.