Sweet n Spicy Sambal Pineapple Fish

An appetizing sweet and sour fish dish added with sweet and slightly crunchy honey pineapple chunks. I used Nasi Lemak Sambal Chilli paste which helps to simplify the long list of spices into 1 tablespoon sambal chilli paste. You can adjust the spiciness and sweetness of the dish according to your preference. A fast and delicious dish to go with warm rice 😉😋

Update: 9 Oct 2022

Added chopped fresh red chilli, and soaked the fish loins in low-fat milk brine for a better taste 😋

Serving: about 4 persons

Ingredients

350~380g frozen fish loin/fillets
90g honey pineapple, cut into chunks
2 small tomatoes, cut into halves

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big onion, chopped

1 red chilli, chopped, optional
1 tbsp salted soya beans, rinse and mash into paste
1 tbsp nasi lemak sambal chilli paste
35g gula melaka/palm sugar, cut into small chunks
50~80ml water
juice from 2~3 small limes

Some coriander leaves for garnishing

This is the frozen fish loin I used.

Directions

1. Thaw the fish fillet/loin and make 2 shallow slits over the fish fillet. Prepare the brine by combining 1/2 tsp of fine salt, 1/2 tsp of raw sugar and about 1 bowl of water*. Let the fish fillet soak for about 15 to 20 minutes.

* water can be changed to milk.

2.  Prepare all the other ingredients accordingly.

3. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil and chopped garlic in a frying pan. When the garlic turns golden and fragrant, add in the chopped onion.

When the onion turns soft and fragrant, add in the mashed preserved soya bean paste, and stir-fry them.

Next, add in the Nasi Lemak Sambal Chilli paste,

and gula melaka/palm sugar.

When the mixture starts to bubble,

add in the honey pineapple chunks, stir to coat the pineapple chunks with the Sambal Chilli paste.

Let the ingredients cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Rest the fish fillets over the Sambal Chilli and pineapple chunks.

Pour in the water just enough to cover half the height of the ingredients.

Simmer for about 2 minutes, flip over the fish fillets. Be careful not to break the fish fillets while flipping over. Let the fillets simmer for about 5 minutes, or till cooked.

Squeeze some lime juice over

Finally, throw in the halved tomatoes, close the lid, turn off the heat, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. If you prefer softer tomatoes, you can throw them in together with the fish to cook longer.

5. Serve with warm rice 😋