Asian Fried Fish Rice Bowl

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Our Asian inspired fried fish rice bowl comes together in just 30 minutes for a light, fresh, and flavorful summer weeknight dinner. The flaky fish, spicy sriracha aioli, and a bright pop of freshly squeezed lemon makes this the perfect recipe for enjoying a sunny warm evening on the patio.

Do you crave crispy, flaky, fried fish as soon as it’s summer? Do you also love spicy sauces and Asian fusion dishes? If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, then we have the perfect new recipe for you to try: an Asian inspired fried fish rice bowl.

Here’s the story behind this dish: one of our favorite local meals in Southern California is the chicken karaage bowl from Silverlake Ramen. (In fact, we love this Japanese dish so much we made our own Japanese crispy chicken rice bowl and even made an Asian fried chicken taco recipe too). The combination of crunchy fried chicken with chewy steamed white rice and a spicy yet zesty sriracha aioli is just irresistible. So we came up with our own twist on the recipe, swapping fried chicken for fried cod fish.

Flaky, salty, melt-in-your-mouth white fish is perfect for frying and serving over rice with a spicy aioli. Add some scallions and a lemon wedge for extra freshness and acidity, and this fish and rice bowl bursts with bright, summery flavor. And the best part is, it only takes about 30 minutes to make!

Key Ingredients

• Fried fish – A white, flaky fish works best for this recipe, like cod or rockfish. We then dredge it in egg and a flour and seasoning mix to give it a crispy, flavorful coating. 
• Sriracha aioli – We like to make our sriracha aioli at home with a little bit of added lemon juice to help tie together the seafood and sriracha.
• Garnishes – The fresh scallions and lemon wedge complete the dish. Without them the dish is missing that fresh component. Plus a little bit of fresh lemon juice drizzled over the dish brightens all the other flavors wonderfully.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Our Fried Fish Rice Bowls

Step 1: Beat the egg in a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, salt, and black pepper in another mixing bowl. And set aside.

Step 3: Pat the cod fillets dry with a paper towel as well as possible.

Step 4: Slice the fish into approximately ¾- to 1-inch cubes.

Step 5: Coat the fish chunks in the egg.

Step 6: Let the excess egg drip off before transferring the fish to the flour mixture. Coat the fish entirely in flour until there are no wet spots left.

Step 7: In a deep walled, thick bottomed pan (cast iron works really well), heat oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the fish until golden brown and crispy. This will take about 6 to 8 minutes. Gently stir the fish a couple times throughout cooking to make sure all sides crisp.

Step 8: Once the fish is cooked through, let it drain on a wire rack. It’s always good to check the fish with a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached an internal temp of at least 145 degrees F. In our experience, the fish is fully cooked before the coating is browned, so we tend to go by color.

Step 9: Assemble the bowls with rice, fried fish, a drizzle of sriracha aioli, and a garnish of scallions and a lemon wedge.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

In case you end up with leftovers from this recipe, we recommend storing the fish, rice, sriracha aioli, and scallions all in separate containers in the fridge. Then, when you want to eat the leftovers, everything will still taste fresh!

The fish will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 4 to 6 minutes, shaking halfway through. Alternatively, you can reheat the fish in the microwave for about 1 minute per serving – just note that it won’t be quite as crispy.

To reheat leftover rice, add it to a bowl with a splash of water and microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per serving. The extra water will help rehydrate the rice – it can get a little dry when stored in the fridge, especially after a few days. Once it’s reheated, give it a stir before adding the reheated fish and topping with sriracha aioli and scallions.

Serving Suggestions

Our Asian style crispy fried fish and rice bowls make the perfect comfort food dinner when you’re craving a takeout style meal at home. They’re crunchy, warm, a little spicy, and super savory – everything you need to satisfy that fried food itch without being greasy or too heavy.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you could serve these bowls with a side of our pork dumplings for a true takeout style dinner. (Tip: If you make a little extra sriracha aioli, you can use it as a dip for your dumplings! It’s delicious.) Or, try making spring rolls, wontons, or even a side salad to go along with your meal. 

But in all honesty, these bowls are so satisfying and tasty on their own, you won’t even need anything else to go with them! Let them shine on their own and indulge in the magic of crispy, crunchy fried fish paired with creamy aioli and rice.

Try our Asian inspired fried fish and rice bowl recipe and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share if you love it! For more unique and easy dishes like this one, check out all of our dinner recipes here.