My home-style crispy air fried striped bass topped with Vietnamese style tomato sauce and cilantro served with steamed jasmine rice.  

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 – 20 minutes

Note:  I asked the fish guy at the Asian market to get two striped bass from the fish tank about 12 inches long so that it will fit into my Cuisenart air fryer.  He chopped off the heads, gutted, and scaled the fish for me.

Ingredients:

• 2 striped bass about 12 inches long
• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp mined garlic
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1 water
• black pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup Vietnamese sweet and sour fish sauce (nuoc mam chua ngot)
• homemade Thai chili paste (optional)

Instructions:

1.. Rinse fish and make sure take out any remaining fish scales as much as possible.

2. Air fried the striped bass at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes in the Cuisenart Air Fryer.

3. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients. Chop the scallion and cilantro, diced the large tomatoes, minced the garlic. I always have a big jar of nuoc mam chua ngot (VN sweet and sour fish sauce) handy.

4.  Make the tomato sauce: 

Heat up sauce pan with oil and brown the minced garlic.  Pour in the diced tomatoes and sweet and sour fish sauce.  Sprinkle in black pepper to your taste.  Cook on high for two minutes then turn heat do medium high for about 3 minutes so that the sauce is not splattering everywhere. 

Then add in the scallion. Stir and drizzle in the cornstarch and water mixture.  Cook for about a minute until the sauce thickens up to your preference. 

5. Transfer crispy air fried striped bass onto a plate and drizzle tomato sauce over the fish. Garnish with cilantro.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice.  Enjoy!