Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish with Peppers
Strips of white fish in a thin crisp rice flour coat, tossed in sweet and sour sauce with soft peppers and onion.
Made with Sweet and sour sauce. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time40
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £4.17 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Pat the fish dry. Cook the rice following the packet. Whisk the cornflour, rice flour and sparkling water into a thin batter-like paste. Season the fish with salt.
- 2
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 180C. Dip the fish strips into the coating, let the extra drip off and fry in 3 batches for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp and pale gold. Drain on kitchen paper.
4 min - 3
Carefully pour all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of the pan once it has cooled.
- 4
Stir fry the pepper and onion for 3 minutes over a high heat.
3 min - 5
Add your ready made sweet and sour sauce (see the base recipe) and bubble for 1 minute.
- 6
Add the fish, fold it through very gently so it does not break up, and serve at once over the rice.
Tips
- Use a firm fish such as cod, haddock or pollock. Delicate fish falls apart when tossed in the sauce.
- Keep the coating thin. A thick coat steams the fish and turns doughy.
- Serve the sauce on the side for dipping if you want the fish crispier for longer.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten straight away. Leftovers keep up to 1 day in the fridge, cooled within 1 hour. Reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes until steaming hot, though the coating will soften.
Questions
Can I use frozen fish?
Yes. Defrost it fully in the fridge overnight and pat it very dry, otherwise the coating slides off.
Is this gluten free?
Yes. It uses only cornflour and rice flour, with a gluten free sweet and sour sauce. Check the packaging on the flours if you have coeliac disease.
Can I bake the fish instead?
You can bake it, but it will not be as crisp. Coat the strips in cornflour, spray with oil and bake at 220C for 12 minutes, turning once.
More made with sweet and sour sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.