Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso

I make Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso much like the pan fried version, except the tilapia goes into the air fryer instead of a pan. The fish browns at 350°F for ten minutes per side, then goes into a sour broth with miso, radish, okra, and mustard leaves. Browning is not about crispness here, since the fish is headed into liquid anyway. It gives the fish a deeper flavor and firms up the outside, so it holds together instead of shredding into the vegetables. If you have cooked the pork version of sinigang, the way the broth comes together will feel familiar.

Air frying does cost you something. Fish fried in oil gets a crust the air fryer cannot match, so if crisp skin matters most to you, the pan fried version is the better one to cook. In exchange, you get a clean stovetop with no splatter, while the broth still comes out just as good. I am fine with that tradeoff when I do not feel like standing over a hot pan and scrubbing it afterward.

Once the fish goes into the broth, lower the heat. It is already cooked through when it leaves the basket, so keep the simmer gentle while the vegetables finish cooking.

What is Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso?

Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso is a Filipino sour fish soup where whole tilapia is air fried first, then simmered in a tamarind broth seasoned with miso paste. Sinigang is the sour soup itself, and the name traces back to the Tagalog root sigang, which means to stew. Adding fermented soybean paste turns it into sinigang sa miso, a version Filipinos cook mostly with fish rather than pork or beef.

Miso became part of Filipino cooking through Japanese influence. Its salty, fermented flavor works well with the sour broth. Sinigang sa miso is commonly made with bangus, maya-maya, or tilapia. Frying the fish first helps it hold together and gives the soup a deeper flavor.

The broth gets spooned over rice, the fish is broken up and passed around, and a saucer of fish sauce with crushed chili sits within reach. Everyone gets broth, a piece of fish, and vegetables in the same bowl. That is how I serve sinigang at home.

Ingredients

• Whole tilapia – Two fish, cleaned and scaled, small enough to sit flat in the air fryer basket without overlapping. I keep the head on because it carries flavor into the broth.
• Miso paste – Yellow miso is what I use here. White miso works, and red miso is too strong for this pot.
• Sinigang sa Sampaloc Recipe Mix – One 40 gram sachet. It goes in after the fish, so the sourness is not boiled down for long.
• Daikon radish – Slice it about a quarter inch thick so it turns tender in the same time the rest of the soup cooks.
• Okra – Leave the pods whole and untrimmed at the tip. Cut pods release more gel into the broth, which thickens it more than I want in this soup.
• Mustard leaves – Mustasa is the green that belongs here. Buy a bunch with firm stems, since limp ones fall apart in the broth.
• Long green peppers – Siling haba, left whole and unslit. They are in the pot for aroma and light warmth, not real heat.
• Tomatoes and yellow onion – Cut both into wedges. They soften and still hold their shape, while chopped pieces disappear into the broth.
• Fish sauce – Season with it at the end, after tasting. The miso and the sinigang mix already carry plenty of salt.
• Salt – About a teaspoon, rubbed over the fish and inside the cavity.
• Cooking oil – A thin brushed coat. It helps the skin brown and keeps the fish from sticking to the basket.

Miso is made by fermenting soybeans with salt and a grain, usually rice or barley, until they form a thick, savory paste. In this soup it seasons the broth and makes the sourness less sharp. Yellow miso is the common choice in Filipino cooking and it is what these amounts are written for, while white miso is milder and a little sweet, so add a bit more if that is what you have. In the Philippines you can buy miso in wet markets, and outside the country it sits in the refrigerated section of most Asian supermarkets.

Equipment

• Air fryer – A basket style unit works best since the fish needs to lie flat. A 5 quart basket fits two small tilapia side by side.
• Large cooking pot – Wide enough for 8 cups of water plus two whole fish, so you can lift them out later in one piece.

Cook the fish in the air fryer first. While it rests, start the broth on the stove.

1. Make shallow slits on both sides of each tilapia.
2. Rub the salt all over the fish, including inside the cavity, then brush the fish with cooking oil.
3. Arrange the tilapia in the air fryer basket without overlapping.
4. Air fry at 350°F for 10 minutes, turn the fish over, and cook the other side for another 10 minutes.

Take the fish out when the skin is browned and the flesh feels firm. Check the thickest part near the spine with a thermometer as well, since fish needs to reach 145°F. Set the fish aside on a plate while you work on the broth.

1. Pour the water into a cooking pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the onion, tomatoes, and daikon radish.
3. Stir in the miso paste until it disperses into the broth, then let the liquid return to a boil.
4. Gently add the air fried tilapia and cook it for 2 minutes once the broth starts boiling again.

Stir the miso in while the water is moving so it spreads instead of settling. Press any lumps against the side of the pot with the back of the spoon. The broth turns cloudy here, which is what it should look like.

1. Add the Sinigang sa Sampaloc Recipe Mix and stir until it dissolves completely.
2. Add the okra and long green peppers, cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mustard leaves, then season with the ground black pepper and fish sauce.
4. Cover the pot, cook for 3 minutes, and transfer the fish, vegetables, and broth to a serving bowl.

Taste the broth right after the sinigang mix dissolves. That is where you still have room to adjust, with more mix for sourness or patis for salt. The mustard leaves need only those last three minutes under the lid, and they keep their color that way.

What to Serve with Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso

• Steamed white rice – The broth is meant to be spooned over rice, so plain rice suits it better than fried rice.
• Fish sauce with crushed chili – A small saucer of patis and siling labuyo. Drizzle it over the fish rather than into the pot so everyone can adjust their own serving.
• A fried dish on the side – Sinigang is usually served with something fried. Sometimes I serve it with fried pork chop or chicken when I want a heavier meal.
• Calamansi wedges – If the broth is milder than you like, squeeze some calamansi into your own bowl instead of changing the whole batch.

Storage

Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso keeps for a few days, though the vegetables soften a little more each time it is heated.

• Refrigerator: Store the fish and broth together in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sourness holds up well, and the radish takes on more of the miso flavor overnight.
• Freezer: Freeze the broth on its own for up to 1 month. The mustard leaves and okra turn mushy after thawing, so leave them out of anything you plan to freeze.
• Reheating: Warm it in a pot over medium heat until it reaches 165°F, or hold it at a boil for two minutes. Add a small handful of fresh mustard leaves during the last minute so the reheated soup tastes fresher.

More Filipino Fish Recipes

• Sinigang na Bangus sa Miso – The milkfish version of this soup, made with the same tamarind and miso broth
• Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso – Made with salmon head and belly for a richer broth
• Sinigang na Lapu Lapu sa Miso – Grouper in the same miso broth, a firmer fish that stays whole
• Fish Sinigang – Fried snapper in a straight tamarind broth, without the miso
• Seafood Sinigang – Fish and shrimp in one pot for a bigger table

• Whole tilapia – Bangus, pompano, maya-maya, or lapu-lapu all work. Keep the fish under a pound each so it still fits the basket flat.
• Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc Recipe Mix – Boiled and mashed fresh tamarind, or 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste stirred in and tasted as you go. Kamias with miso is another route if you have the fruit.
• Mustard leaves – Spinach, kangkong, or bok choy. All three wilt faster than mustasa, so give them a minute less under the lid.
• Daikon radish – Gabi works if you want a thicker broth, since the taro breaks down as it cooks.
• Long green peppers – Leave them out, or use one finger chili if you actually want heat in the broth.
• Miso paste – There is no real swap for it. Skip the miso and you have a good fish sinigang, just not a sinigang sa miso.

Air Fried Fish Sinigang sa Miso is best eaten right away, while the broth is still hot and the mustard leaves are still green. Serve it with rice and a small saucer of fish sauce with crushed chili on the side. Share and enjoy!