Lemon Fish [Simple Home-Cook]

Long long time ago when I was working in Singapore, one of my roommates was a Teochiew lady from Penang. She liked to cook fish with plum sauce, very appetizing sweet and sour taste. Until now, I thought of her every time I cooked or ate something similar to that.

This Lemon Fish a simple home-cook dish also available in some Chinese restaurants. Restaurant version usually cooked with fillet, for better presentation perhaps?

Ingredients:
1 black pomfret or 300g fillet
Salt
Corn flour to coat
Oil for deep-frying

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, for zest and juice
1 cup water + 1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Sugar to taste
Hon-dashi / fish stock to taste (optional)
Salt to taste


Garnish:
Lemon zest
Soup celery / cilantro

Methods:

1. Pat dry fish with paper towel, marinate with some salt for about 10 minutes. Coat with corn flour, set aside for few minutes so that all moist will be absorbed by corn flour.
2. Heat wok, add in oil. When the oil is hot enough add in fish and fry with medium heat till both side is browned slightly. Transfer fish onto a plate lined with paper towel and drain the oil in the wok.
3. Use the same wok, add in garlic and cook till fragrant. Add in all ingredients for sauce, bring to a boil.
4. Return fried fish to wok, cook with low heat till sauce is reduced.
5. Transfer fish to serving plate, garnish with lemon zest and soup celery. Serve warm.

Cook's notes:

1. I like to cook the fish in sauce, taste better to me. If desired, you can pour the sauce over fried fish/fillet. In this case, fry the fish longer and make sure it is well cooked.
2. Lemon can be substituted with orange or preserved plum for different taste.
3. Suggestion for presentation, serve as fish and chips style and lemon sauce as dipping sauce.