Carp Tail in Fermented Rice Sauce
A classic Zhejiang specialty featuring black carp tail, first pan-fried then braised, with a rich, fragrant wine-lees sauce and tender, silky flesh.
Ingredients
Black carp tail (cut into 8 pieces connected by fins)
500 g
Refined salt
15 g
MSG
2 g
Fermented rice mash (mixed with broth and strained)
50 g
Cooked pork lard (for frying)
50 g
Shaoxing wine
25 g
Minced scallion and ginger
3 g
Wet starch (for thickening)
25 g
Broth (for mixing the fermented rice sauce)
to taste
Instructions
1
Preparing the fish tail
Cut the black carp tail into 8 pieces connected by fins.
2
Preparing the fermented rice sauce
Combine the fermented rice mash with the broth to make a sauce, strain out the solids, and set aside.
3
Pan-frying
Heat a wok over high heat with the cooked pork lard, place the fish tail pieces in and lightly pan-fry both sides, splash in the Shaoxing wine, add the broth and refined salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and braise until the sauce reduces and the fish is cooked through.
4
Adding the fermented rice sauce
Pour in the strained fermented rice sauce, add the MSG, and bring back to a boil over high heat.
5
Thickening and finishing
Thicken lightly with the wet starch, sprinkle the minced ginger and scallion, swirl the wok to coat with a drizzle of hot oil, and serve.
