• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • Stories
  • About
    • Public Events
    • Privacy Policy
  • Wild Game
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
  • Podcast
Home » Fish » Hmong Style Crispy Fish

Hmong Style Crispy Fish

By Hank Shaw on May 5, 2014, Updated June 9, 2020 - 22 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
5 from 10 votes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
whole fried fish
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

It is a paradox that some of the easiest, most fun fish to catch are also among the hardest to cook well. Small, bass-like fish — those with largish heads, prickly spines and large rib cages — really need to be at least a good foot long to be worth filleting, and even that’s a small fillet. What to do?

The answer is to cook them whole. You get exponentially more meat off each fish, you waste less and, well, it’s just fun to tear into a whole fish at the table. There’s something primal about it I really like.

Virtually every culture serves fried whole fish in some way, shape or form. The people of the Mediterranean, from Turkey to Spain, grill whole fish as good as anyone. You can bake a whole fish in salt. The Chinese steam them, then pour sizzling chile oil over them right before you eat them. In Sichuan, one of their signature dishes is sweet and sour crispy fish, which I make a lot.

I thought I’d make it again when I got home from Southern California recently, four pretty Pacific rockfish in my cooler. I had a great time catching them on the New Del Mar, easily landing my 10-fish limit. I gave away most of my fish to some newbie anglers who were not so lucky.

But as I drove the long trip home — Santa Monica is a solid 6 1/2 hours from my house in NorCal — I thought I should do something different. Spring is here and I wanted a lighter, fresher kind of fish. My thoughts immediately went to Southeast Asia, where they are geniuses with fresh herbs, citrus and chiles. Then I remembered a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America.

Hmong are a group of Southeast Asians who fought with us against the Communists in Vietnam, and after the war thousands came here to live. There are large Hmong communities in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, in San Jose, Fresno and here in Sacramento, California.

I happen to like the Hmong. They’re good outdoorsmen and generally nice people in my experience. Long-time readers of HAGC might remember that I’ve cooked a few Hmong dishes before, like their awesome, herby country-style sausage and a fantastic squirrel stew.

Hmong food is generally a country cousin of Vietnamese food, which can be quite refined. Lots of fish and game, lots of fresh herbs, chiles, citrus and fish sauce. What’s not to love?

This recipe for fried whole fish is amazeballs. I am not kidding. The trick is to crispy fry plate-sized fish until the bones and spines soften, then tear into it. You end up eating about a third of the bones, which are reduced to crunchy, nutty tidbits. Crispy, meaty, crunchy, with the zing of citrus, the freshness of the herbs and the occasional warm note from the fried garlic make this a near perfect plate of food.

Could you do it with fillets? Yeah, I suppose. But that would be less fun.

A vermillion rockfish.
Photo by Hank Shaw

This recipe works with any bass-like fish. I mostly use Pacific rock cod (rockfish), but perch, large- or smallmouth bass, walleyes, black seabass, croakers, puppy drum, porgies, large crappies or bluegills would all work. The ideal length for the fish is about the size of a big dinner plate.

You can use larger fish, but you’ll probably want to split one fish for two people, and that’s not quite as fun as getting to tear into a fish of your own.

Fried whole fish recipe
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Crispy Fried Fish, Hmong Style

Everything here should be pretty easy to find, with the possible exceptions of the lemongrass and the fish sauce. Both are readily available in larger supermarkets now, and any Asian market will have them. If you can't find it, use soy sauce.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Southeast Asian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 475kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

FISH

  • 2 to 4 plate-sized bass-like fish see above, scaled and gutted
  • Salt
  • 1 cup peanut or other vegetable oil
  • 3 to 5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 or 2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • 4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
  • Cilantro, torn into 1-inch pieces, for garnish

DIPPING SAUCE

  • 3 to 5 small hot chiles such as Thai, or 1 habanero
  • 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass, white part only
  • 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons minced green onion or chives
  • Juice of a lemon
  • Grated zest of a lemon
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

Instructions

  • Take the fish out of the fridge and rinse it under cold water, checking for any remaining scales. Remove the gills if they are still there. You can snip off the fins with kitchen shears if you want. Use a sharp kitchen knife to slash the sides of the fish perpendicular to the backbone. Make the slices at an angle, from the tail end toward the head end. This opens up the fish to the hot oil and makes it cook faster. Salt the fish well and set aside.
  • Make the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Make sure everything is chopped fine. Set aside.
  • A wok is the best thing to use for cooking these fish, unless you have a deep fryer. I have both, and still prefer the wok. A large frying pan will work, too. Heat the oil until it is between 330°F and 350°F. Fry the crushed garlic cloves until they are a lovely brown and remove.
  • Gently put one or two fish into the hot oil. It's OK if the tails and heads are not submerged. It will sizzle violently, so watch yourself. Use a large spoon to baste the fish with the hot oil as it cooks. Fry like this a solid 6 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is. You want it very crispy and golden brown. Carefully flip the fish -- I use two spatulas to do this. Fry another 5 to 8 minutes. Repeat with any remaining fish. If you do have to do this in batches, let the cooked fish rest on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
  • To serve, lay the fish down on plates and grind a healthy portion of black pepper over them. Black pepper is a signature flavor in this dish so be generous. Arrange the fried garlic and the remaining garnishes alongside. Serve with the dipping sauce and white rice.

Notes

Serve the fish with the garnishes around it, and the dipping sauce in the middle of the table. Forks or chopsticks are a must, as is a big bowl of steamed white rice. A really good bite is some fish on top of a little rice, with a bit of the dipping sauce spooned over it.

Nutrition

Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 94g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 998mg | Potassium: 1991mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 741IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

Thanks for Sharing This!

355 shares

Filed Under: Asian, Featured, Fish, Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for robert huntrobert hunt says

    April 22, 2022 at 7:23 am

    Hello Hank, can that sauce be made in a large batch and canned or frozen and still work well for the dish? I live in Alaska and love your recipes.

    Thank you,
    Robert

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 27, 2022 at 9:14 am

      Robert: I don’t know if it can be canned, sorry.

      Reply
  2. Avatar for Neil HNeil H says

    December 19, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    This is so good.

    I’ve made this a few times now. I highly recommend it. Even my wife who doesn’t like whole fish, or much anything else on the bone, loves it. We’ve also made the dipping sauce separately, for other dishes.

    I make this with rockfish. Sometimes, if the fish is too big for the wok, I just cut the head off and fry it separately. Those cheeks are worth it! My only caution is that the garlic will brown in a few seconds, so be ready. Don’t make this dish unless you expect to clean your stove, even with a splatter screen, it’s a hardcore fry dish. We reuse the oil a few times.

    This is our favorite whole fish recipe.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for AaronAaron says

    July 12, 2019 at 10:05 am

    Hi Hank,

    Delicious recipe as per usual! I too have had great experiences with Hmong people. So, I thought I would correct a historical inaccuracy in your article here.

    The Hmong people fought on many sides of the series of conflicts in Southeast Asia. The ones you are likely referring to are the Laotian Hmong people recruited by the CIA to block supply routes between North Vietnam and Southern Vietnamese rebels, as well as fight the Pathet Lao communists. They were officially supporters of the monarchy in that capacity. Other Hmong populations commonly fought for North Vietnam as part of their regular forces during the civil war.

    After the conflict in Laos ended non-communist Hmong were persecuted for their Royalist affiliation and fled to Thailand and then the United States.

    The Hmong have a large population that spans throughout SE Asia and China, and members of their population have probably fought for every national force and rebellion (save for the Khmer Rouge) in the region.

    Anyways, they are a people with a rich history so I felt like it was pigeon-holing them to assign them a one-dimensional role.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 12, 2019 at 12:00 pm

      Aaron: Interesting! I did not know that. Thanks for the additional information.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for AmyAmy says

    June 8, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    Perfect. I lived in Mpls/St Paul for 30+ years and was craving some Hmong goodness. This hit the spot. The sauce is bomb. I substituted lime and it was fine.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Tony BurgessTony Burgess says

    May 22, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    Had a large brown rock cod, removed the head and cut in two chunks, and did in the wok. It was awesome, even my wife who has traveled in SE Asia and knows food thought it was fantastic.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for DarbyDarby says

    December 12, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    What a wonderful recipe! We had some trout from a fishing trip this last summer and it was fantastic for those. The sauce is a total keeper! Thank you for sharing it!

    Reply
  7. Avatar for PeterPeter says

    August 31, 2018 at 9:20 pm

    I’m in Australia, and we don’t have any of these fish by these names. How do you think rainbow trout would work?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      September 1, 2018 at 8:56 am

      Peter: Not so good. You want a firm white fish. Barramundi would be nice.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for RonRon says

    January 16, 2018 at 10:56 pm

    Excellent, My next striped bass is going to be cooked this way!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Richard FarrisRichard Farris says

    March 21, 2017 at 9:54 am

    Made this with bluegills from my pond and was delicious. How come no one ever told me about this?

    Reply
  10. Avatar for JerryJerry says

    September 23, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    Can I cook this in a Teflon fry pan or is shallow frying like this not recommended?

    Reply
  11. Avatar for PamelaPamela says

    August 1, 2014 at 6:51 am

    EXCELLENT AND SO GOOD!!

    Reply
  12. Avatar for WaliWali says

    May 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    Let me get this straight, you drove 6 and 1/2 hours south to catch rockfish? Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you have a body of water just west of you with an excellent rockfish population? ;D

    Yum! Excellent preparation! That’s got to be one of my favorite ways to have fish. You’ve got me ready to go chase down some sac-a-lait. (more likely end up at the market for live tilapia)

    Reply
  13. Avatar for TerryTerry says

    May 7, 2014 at 12:26 am

    No need to eat the bones if you don’t want to this way – the meat will flake right off of them. Grew up on river trout pan fried and it is similar – the skin will just peel off if you don’t want to eat that, eat the meat away from the bones, then pull out the whole skeleton (usually will come out in 1 piece) and finish the meat on the other side, and finish with the other skin.

    Reply
  14. Avatar for Joe KeoughJoe Keough says

    May 6, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Can’t wait to try this recipe! I love the crispy skin and the moist, flavorful flesh that only “on the bone” cooking can accomplish. I prefer to leave the fins alone. Depending upon the specie, the fins can be tasty as well! At the very least, leaving the fins intact allows you to remove them by the roots after cooking. Fewer bones to deal with.

    Reply
  15. Avatar for StephenStephen says

    May 5, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    Never thought of bream as an ocean fish… My relatives in the South call most sunfish “bream”. To me, “bream” is a member of the Cyprinidae or carp family – commonly found in lakes in Sweden, and still eaten in the southern part of the country (SkÃ¥ne)…

    Reply
  16. Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

    May 5, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Hen: Yep, extra calcium!

    Helen: Fer sher. I assume you mean a bluegill? Regardless, it’ll work. Bream to me is an ocean fish like a grunt or porgy.

    Reply
  17. Avatar for Helen in SCHelen in SC says

    May 5, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Would large bream work? I thinking they’d be perfect, but will defer to you. Thanks !

    Reply
  18. Avatar for Hen of the WoodHen of the Wood says

    May 5, 2014 at 9:10 am

    Looks so good. I love the idea of wasting less. Plus I imagine the bones you eat are pretty good for you, full of calcium, right?

    Reply
  19. Avatar for MikeMike says

    May 5, 2014 at 6:41 am

    Yikes! I’m having this tonight! The lemongrass is ready to be transplanted and the in-laws pond is drying up due to our lovely little drought. The ONE benefit is that there are several hundred 2-8lb large mouth bass just waiting to be eaten… Yummy

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Venison 101: How to Cook Venison
pickled pike recipe
Pickled Pike
Slices of smoked venison roast on a cutting board.
Smoked Venison Roast
Conejo en adobo on a plate
Conejo en Adobo
A platter of fried walleye with lemon.
Fried Walleye
A plate of pine nut cookies.
Pine Nut Cookies

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Stories
  • Wild Game
  • Charcuterie
  • Fish
  • Gathering
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2023 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

355 shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • 123Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
355 shares
  • 123