Air Fried Whole Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce
Frying a whole fish can be hard but not with this air fryer. Instead of a deep fried fish, this air fried fish is healthier but still delicious and crispy. It pairs perfectly with the sweet and sour sauce drizzled over the crispy whole tilapia. The sauce is made with fresh pineapple giving it texture with the silky sauce.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 Whole tilapia fish, scaled and gutted
- Salt
- Corn starch
- Garnish with green onions
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 cup yellow onion
- 1 cup bell pepper
- 1 cup Pineapple chunks
- 1 tbsp Granulated white sugar
- 1 cup Pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1-1/2 tbsp Cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp Lime juice
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the pineapple: Use a fresh pineapple for the sauce. After peeling, use a pineapple eye remover to take out the eyes without wasting fruit. Cut the pineapple from the core and dice into 1-inch pieces.
- 2
Prepare the bell peppers: Cut the pepper in half, remove the stem and seeds, and dice into 1-inch pieces.
- 3
Prepare the onion: Peel, halve, and dice the onion into 1-inch pieces.
- 4
Make the cornstarch slurry: In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water and set aside.
- 5
Cook the sweet and sour sauce: In a medium pan on high heat, sauté onions until translucent. Add pineapple chunks, bell peppers, and sauté briefly. Stir in sugar, pineapple juice, fish sauce, ketchup, and lime juice. As the sauce simmers, add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. Set sauce aside.
- 6
Prepare the fish: Rinse and pat dry a pre-cleaned fish (scaled and gutted). Trim the fins with scissors and make deep cuts 1 ½ inches apart on both sides of the fish. Salt both sides heavily.
- 7
Coat the fish: In a large bowl, coat the fish in cornstarch, dust off the excess, and place it on parchment paper in the air fryer tray.
- 8
Air fry the fish: Spray one side with oil and air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes. Flip the fish halfway, spray with oil again, and continue frying.
- 9
Finish and serve: Once done, place the fish on a serving plate and spoon the sauce over it. Garnish with green onions and serve extra sauce on the side.