24 Easy Asian Side Dishes for Fried Fish

The best easy Asian side dishes for fried fish, whether it's fried catfish or Chinese deep-fried whole fish! (Yes, that means head and tail too!)

Close-up of gochujang butternut squash baked fries.

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Fries
Salad
Vegetables
Carbs
Dips & Sauces
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Fish, shrimp and other types of seafood make for great weekday dinners because they are quick to cook, delicious and healthy!

Here are some delicious side dishes to make your seafood platter a complete meal and elevate your golden brown fish fillets to a whole new level.

Fries

Spam Frites

Dipping a SPAM fry into a bowl of Gochuajng Mayonnaise Sauce.

French fries are the classic accompaniment to fried fish- along with tartar sauce!- but who says you have to stick to regular white potato wedges?

Try potato chips, onion rings, sweet potatoes or even luncheon meat fries! For extra flavor, sprinkle on some herbs, parmesan cheese and garlic powder!

Tip: Fries and fried fish both go really well with spicy gochujang mayo, Korean spicy butter and sambal oelek aioli!

Spam fries (2-ingredients)

Savoury and full of umami, these luncheon meat fries, or SPAM fries, will leave you wanting more! Crisp outside but soft inside, they're super simple to make and on the table in under 30 minutes! (I have tested them 5 different ways!)

Click here for the Asian fries recipe.

A box of SPAM fries with sauce in the background.

Salad

Fried food can be a bit drying, so a side salad is a great choice for a side dish, to make it taste better!

Mango Salad with Cucumber and Tomato

A white spoon holding up a cucumber mango salad mix.

Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian)

This Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian recipe) is a light and refreshing side dish full of tropical flavor. Quick and easy, it's a sweet, savory and crunchy recipe perfect for camping or a summer barbecue. Plus, unlike many salads, there is no sour cream or olive oil used, so it's healthier and less heavy!

Click here for the mango tomato salad recipe.

A bowl full of mangoes, tomatoes and cucumber salad.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Cool and refreshing, a fresh salad is a great side dish, providing a nice contrast from the salty deep-fried fish!

This Chinese cucumber salad recipe is literally 1 of the easiest salads to make- it's literally cut and shake in an airtight container! Plus, it goes with all types of fish!

Cold cucumber salad recipe

The easy Chinese cold cucumber salad recipe is delicious and full of spicy flavor. Best of all, it only requires 4-ingredients and takes 5-10 minutes to make.

Click here for the spicy Chinese salad recipe.

Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

Vegetable Salad

Or if you're not a fan of Chinese black vinegar, try this Indian Kachumber Salad?

Coleslaw

Coleslaw is another classic side dish whose cool, refreshing flavor pairs perfectly with the rich and savory flavor of fried fish. Whether you prefer a creamy coleslaw or a vinegar-based one, this is the perfect side dish for a delicious meal!

Note: This is a vegetarian, 7-ingredient version, but coleslaw is also a great way to use leftover rotisserie meat!

Cold Noodle Salad

Close-up of someone picking up sliced abalone and glass noodles with chopsticks.

Thai Vermicelli Noodle Salad with Abalone

Tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory, this light Thai Vermicelli with Abalone Salad is a great make-ahead recipe for your Chinese New Year 2023 celebration dinner. It can even be a no-cook recipe, and is the perfect dish for beginner home chefs!

Click here for the Thai abalone noodle recipe.

Vermicelli glass noodles mixed with sliced abalone, coriander, peanuts and dried shrimp on a leaf-shaped plate.

Mashed Potatoes

Korean Potato Salad is my favourite Asian potato recipe!

The sweetness of the apple cubes and the crunch of the cucumbers go so well with the creaminess of the mayonnaise and the fluffiness of the potato- all of which contrast perfectly with the crunchy fish fry!

For something different, use kimchi mayo or gochujang aioli for some spice!

Note: for more easy Korean side dishes, click here.

Vegetables

Vegetable Skewers

Grilled or roasted vegetable skewers in olive oil provide a colorful and nutritious side that balances the indulgence of fried fish.

Green Beans

Lightly sautéed or stir-fried green beans provide a refreshing crunch and vibrant color to balances the richness of fried fish.

Brussel Sprouts

These Fish Sauce Brussels sprouts is a great way to incorporate more fibre in your meal!

Collard Greens

Collard greens are delicious cooked in coconut milk with garlic and spices such as lemongrass and turmeric. (For some spice, add a tablespoon or two of sambal oelek chili paste.) Like kale, collard greens can be bitter and serving them as part of a curry helps to temper the harsh notes!

Carbs

Whether it's white rice, brown rice, or cheesy cauliflower rice, they all go really well with fish!

Turmeric Roast Potatoes

A plate of spiced potatoes next to fresh turmeric root.

📋 Quick & Easy Turmeric Potatoes

These roasted turmeric potatoes are super quick and easy as the potatoes aren't parboiled before baking. Golden and spiced from the turmeric, they're nonetheless delicious- firm outside but warm and melt-in-your-mouth inside! (I also show you how to parboil them for a super crispy turmeric roast potatoes, if that's what you're looking for!)

Click here for the Asian Roast Potato recipe.

Roasted potatoes which are beautifully golden thanks to turmeric on a white plate.

Cheese Bread

Instead of the usual Hush Puppies, why not try these chewy glutinous rice bread balls instead?

Cheese Mochi Bread

This delicious Cheese Mochi Bread Recipe is crisp on the outside and soft and oozy on the inside! It's also a super easy recipe: you just mix everything and bake. Plus no sugar is used so you don't have to feel guilty about snacking! (Baked) (Air Fried)

Click here for the cheese balls recipe.

Turmeric One Pot Rice

Golden turmeric rice with raisins and cashews on a white plate.

Easy Turmeric Rice (One Pot, Rice Cooker)

This delicious and easy Turmeric Rice is a one-pot recipe that is made in the rice cooker. It has a tinge of sweetness from the raisins, crunch from the cashews and a gorgeous golden color from the turmeric! Plus all the main ingredients are from the pantry!

Click here for the Golden Turmeric Rice Recipe.

Close-up of turmeric rice with raisins on a wooden spoon.

Pandan Rice

2 easy Pandan Rice recipes: I show you how to cook a fragrant white rice or a pandan-flavored, olive-green, creamy rice using 2-3 simple ingredients.

Click here for the Southeast Asian rice recipe.

A Singporean meal with 2 types of pandan rice, fried egg, eggplant and sambal kangkong.

Thai Fried Rice

If you're looking for a main dish, serve your fried fish filets with this tasty fried rice recipe!

Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong)

This Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong) is quick easy and delicious: it's on the table in under 30 minutes if you have leftover rice. Plus making it at home means you can save money and custmise it to your desired spice level!

Click here for the Khao Pad Goong Thai Recipe.

A plate of Spicy Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp and Egg.

Spicy Thai Spaghetti

A plate of Thai Drunken Noodles Spaghetti next to chili and garlic.

Easy Drunken Noodles Recipe (Spaghetti)

This easy Drunken Noodles recipe, also known as Drunkard Noodles recipe (Pad Kee Mao), uses readily available ingredients, such as spaghetti and canned tuna, but also shares the steps and ingredients to make an authentic version. It's a deliciously quick weeknight dinner, on the dinner table in under 30 minutes! (Despite the name, there is no alcohol in the recipe- the spicy noodles do taste amazing with a cold beer though!)

Click here for the Pad Kee Mao recipe.

Close-up of a plate of spicy Thai basil spaghetti.

Cheese Kimchi Fried Rice

Close-up of a plate of Korean kimchi and gochujang fried rice

Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Fried Rice)

Kimchi Bokkeumbap, or Korean fried rice with kimchi, is so easy and delicious, it's often whipped up as a hangover meal in a Korean household and can be made perfectly the first time. Plus, it's done in 15 minutes if you have leftover rice around!

Click here for the Korean fried rice recipe.

Gochujang Pasta

Pasta dishes are another great option for fried fish. Make sure to choose something with more sauce, like this spicy Korean spaghetti!

Creamy Korean Pasta

A plate of savory and deliciously creamy gochujang pasta with a thick and umami sauce soooo good you'll want to slurp it up like a soup!

Click here for the Spicy Korean Pasta recipe.

Close-up of a pair of chopsticks grabbing some spicy, red gochujang pasta noodles.

Fried Vermicelli

A bowl of Singaporean bihun goreng made with blanched bihun.

Singapore Fried Vermicelli (Bihun Goreng)

Singapore Fried Vermicelli, also known as Bihun Goreng, is delicious, easy to cook and quick to make in under 30 minutes. Using only simple ingredients (no chicken broth needed), it's a complete meal in itself. It's also cheap enough that some hawker centres (street food stalls) in Singapore sell it for only S$2/ US$1.50!

Click here for the Asian fried noodles recipe.

A plate of Singaporean fried vermicelli noodles with egg, carrot and fish cake.

Dips & Sauces

Calamansi Soy Sauce

A bowl of garlic and chilli mixed with calamansi lime and soy sauce .

Calamansi Soy Sauce, also known as Toyomansi, is a classic Filipino dipping sauce for fried fish. It works like lemon juice, adding a burst of acidity

Toyomansi sauce (Calamansi Soy Sauce)

A classic and super easy to make Filipinno dipping sauce and marinade, toyomansi is bursting with delicious, tangy flavours. Eat it with steamed seafood or to marinade pork and chicken for your next BBQ!

Click here for the Filipino dipping sauce recipe.

Gochujang Aioli

This makes enough to go with 1 can of Spam Fries.

Click here for the gochujang mayonnaise recipe.

Close-up of someone dipping a SPAM fry into Gochujang Aioli.

Sambal Mayo

Stirring mayonnaise into freshly made sambal oelek.

Easy 3-ingredient Sambal Aioli (Sambal Mayo)

This easy creamy sauce is good in burgers, sandwiches and as a dip for fried fish!

Click here for the Sambal Aioli recipe.

Close-up of sweet potato fries topped with spicy sambal mayo.

Garlic Cheese Dip

A cracker with Philadelphia cream cheese garlic dip spread on it.

Easy Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dip Recipe

A 5-ingredient, easy Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe with lots of garlic and hard boiled eggs, and that comes together in 5 minutes. This recipe never fails to please!

Click here for the garlicky cheese dip.

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