Batang fish is one of the most popular fish in Singapore. The flesh of batang is firm and meaty which make it an extremely versatile ingredient. They belong to the family Scombridae which are a pelagic species whose members include tuna. 

Health Benefits: Mackerel is a nutritious fish that has high levels of essential fatty acids, and is a good source of protein.  

Taste and Texture: Soft texture and slightly sweet taste. The flesh is meaty and firm, almost like the texture of chicken meat when it is fried.

Cooking Methods: Batang fish can be steamed, fried, pan-fry and grilled. However, many people prefer them fried. It is commonly used for making fish soup and porridge. 

Cooking Tips:

⇒ For making fish soup, soak the fish slices in a bowl of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Massage salt onto the fish flesh for 1 minute. This is to reduce the fishy taste of the fish for those who dislike the inherent strong taste of the fish. 

⇒ After massaging the salt onto the fish flesh, add cornstarch and stir to dissolve the cornstarch fully into the salt water. Sock the fish slices for around 3-5 minutes. The cornstarch gives the batang fish a soft texture after cooking, and prevents the fish from overcooking. 

Other Facts: When buying Batang, make sure that the flesh is slightly pinkish, not whitish in color. Also the blood clots around the bone should be fresh red in color.

Try this easy  Batang Recipe (Spring Onion Ginger Fish Slices)

Ingredients

• Batang Fish Slices (400g)
• Light Soy Sauce (1 tbsp)
• Oyster Sauce (1 tbsp)
• Sugar (1 tbsp)
• Corn Starch (7 tbsp)
• Salt (1 tbsp)
• White Pepper (1 tbsp)
• Ginger Slices (8 slices)
• Spring Onion (2-3 stalks)
• Vegetable Oil 
• Minced Garlic (1 tbsp)
• Shaoxing Wine (1  bottle cup)

Cooking Procedure

• Step 1: Mix the following ingredients to make the sauce (make sure it is well blended):
  Light Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
  Oyster Sauce – 1 tbsp
  Sugar – 1 tbsp
  Corn Starch – 3 tbsp
  Water – 150ml

• Step 2: Marinate the fish slices for 30 mins with the following:
  Salt – 1 tbsp
  White Pepper – 1 tbsp
  Corn Starch – 4 tbsp

• Step 3: Blanch the marinate fish slices
  Boil a pan of water
  Put 2 stalks of Spring Onion and 3 slices of Ginger in the boiled water
  Turn off the heat after water is boiled
  Add the fish slices one by one into the boiled water
  Blanch the marinated fish slices in the boiled water for 30 seconds
  Remove the fish slices from the pan and set aside them on a plate

• Step 4: Cook the fish slices
  Pour 2 tbsp of Oil to the pan
  Add 5 slices of Ginger Slices
  Add 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
  Stir fry till fragrant
  Pour the prepared sauce (step 1) to the pan
  Add fish slices to the pan and mix well
  Add 30 gram of Spring Onion (cut to section)
  Add 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
  Add 1 bottle cup of ShaoXing Wine and mix well