Pan-fried fish steak is a common dish in many Malaysian households.
There are many iterations of this dish – some choose to marinate the fish with turmeric powder, others like to drench soy sauce over the cooked fish at the end.
Keep it simple
However, we love our dad’s simple recipe best. It is also the perfect work-from-home option when you are rushed for time.
All we do is marinate the fish with salt, fry it, then garnish with julienned ginger and coriander leaves.
Seriously, that’s it!
This simplicity allowed us to enjoy the natural flavours of the fish, which works really well when your seafood is fresh. We also like to enjoy it with cut chillies and soy sauce on the side.
This simple recipe will yield the perfect fried fish with brown and crispy skin, and tender juicy flesh.
Best fish to fry
Indian threadfin
This round, we cooked ikan kurau (Indian threadfin or 顺风) sourced from Fish For It!
This wild-caught fish was absolutely delicious. It was exceptionally fresh and sweet, with a lovely flaky texture.
Spanish mackerel (ikan tenggiri) is also a popular choice for this easy recipe.
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Check out the Reel below for this recipe.
Other seafood recipes
This Indian threadfin is equally delicious when steamed with ginger and soy sauce.
Check out our Cantonese-style steamed fish recipe and other seafood recipes here.
Key tips
While this dish is simple, there are a few key steps to follow.
1. Pat dry fish before frying
This is to prevent splashes when the fish is placed into the oil. It also helps the steak to brown nicely, and the removal of moisture will result in crispy and flaky texture.
Pat fish with towel to absorb moisture 
Season fish with salt
2. Season fish with salt
We only use salt to season the steak. Ensure that you rub the fish thoroughly with salt and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Pat the fish one more time to remove remaining moisture right before frying.
3. Don’t flip fish more than once
Cook the fish on one side for 4 minutes. Do not stir of flip the fish too early or you’ll break the fish apart. You may choose to cover the wok with a lid to prevent oil splashes. Once the bottom edges are brown, gently flip the fish. Fry the other side for 3 minutes.
Fry on one side until brown 
4. Enjoy it with simple garnish!
It is important to use the freshest fish for this recipe. We keep the dish simple with only julienned ginger as garnish. You can also add coriander leaves. You may also drench soy sauce over the steak – but we like our fish to remain crispy on the side.
Key Steps in Pictures
Ginger should sizzle when placed in oil. 
Cover with lid to prevent splashes. 
Easy Fried Fish Steak RECIPE
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Chinese, MalaysianDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes10
minutes300
kcalThis simple recipe will yield the perfect fried fish with brown and crispy skin, and tender juicy flesh.
Ingredients
350g fish steak (we used Indian threadfin/ ikan kurau)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
1-inch ginger, julienned
coriander leaves (for garnish)
Directions
- Clean fish and pat dry.
- Season fish with salt on both sides. Allow the fish to sit for 15 minutes.
- Heat up cooking oil in wok over medium high heat. When oil is hot enough (test by placing ginger in oil – it should sizzle), place fish in the oil.
- Cover with lid if you like to prevent oil from splashing out. Cook for 4 minutes. Do not flip in between.
- Fish is ready to be turned when the bottom edges have turned brown. Gently flip the fish and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes with the lid on.
- Poke fish with a knife at its thickest part to check if cooked-through. Remove fish and place on a strainer to remove excess oil.
- Using the same oil in the wok, briefly fry the ginger for 20 seconds until crisp. You can fry with the heat turned off.
- Remove and garnish the fish with ginger and coriander leaves. Serve with cut chillies and soy sauce on the side.
