Braised Whole Bu Fish in Soy Sauce
A traditional Zhejiang dish featuring whole buffalo fish pan-fried and then braised until. The fish is tender and coated in a glossy, savory red sauce.
Story
The fish is briefly fried in rendered lard before being simmered with bean paste, Shaoxing wine, and aromatics. A final swirl of lard and a flip of the wok ensure the sauce clings thickly to the tender meat, creating a rich, aromatic dish best enjoyed with steamed rice.
Ingredients
Cleaned buffalo fish (remove mouth and tail, score both sides, marinate with 5g soy sauce)
500g
Cooked pork fat (diced)
25g
Scallion sections (10g for braising, 3g for garnish)
15g
White sugar
5g
Ginger (sliced into small rounds)
5g
MSG
1.5g
Broad bean paste (minced)
15g
Wet starch (for thickening)
25g
Shaoxing wine
15g
Rendered lard (75g for frying fish, 25g for finishing)
100g
Soy sauce (5g for marinating fish, 10g for braising)
15g
Stock (for braising)
150g
Instructions
1
Prepare the fish
Cut off the mouth and tail of the mud fish, make a diagonal cut on each side of the fish body, mix evenly with 5g of soy sauce, and arrange in order.
2
Prepare the ingredients
Cut the pork fat into small cubes, mince the bean paste, cut the ginger into small round slices, wash the green onion and cut into sections.
3
Pan-fry the fish
Place the wok over medium heat, coat the wok with oil, add 75g of lard and heat to 70% hot (about 150°C), slide the mud fish into the wok, and pan-fry both sides until yellow.
4
Braise
Add 10g of green onion sections, 10g of soy sauce, pork fat cubes, and ginger slices, add Shaoxing wine, bean paste, and white sugar, add 150g of soup, and simmer for about 3 minutes.
5
Thicken the sauce
Add MSG, thicken with wet starch, drizzle 25g of lard along the edge of the wok, rotate the wok to flip the fish over, and sprinkle with 3g of green onion sections.
6
Serve
Remove from the wok and serve.
