Chaozhou Fish with Poured Sauces
Chaozhou Blanched Grass Carp
A classic traditional Chaozhou dish, this recipe features fresh grass carp blanched in boiling water, paired with two distinct dipping sauces: a savory salty sauce and a sweet-sour sauce. One fish offers two flavor profiles, with the flesh boasting a fresh, sweet, silky and tender texture.
Ingredients
Fresh grass carp (scaled, cleaned, with crosshatch cuts on the back)
1 (750 g)
Monosodium glutamate
10 g
Refined salt
10 g
White vinegar (for sweet and sour sauce)
75 g
Water chestnut starch (wet water chestnut starch for thickening)
20 g
Sesame oil (for both sauces)
15 g
Lard (poured over the fish after boiling)
100 g
Sugar (for sweet and sour sauce)
75 g
Stock (for savory sauce)
150 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
First, scale and thoroughly clean the fish, make crosshatch cuts on its back, place it in a basin, pour 15 catties of boiling water into the basin to submerge the fish, immediately cover the basin, and the fish will be cooked after about 20 minutes.
2
Step 2
When the fish is almost cooked, start preparing two small bowls each of savory sauce and sweet and sour sauce. First, stir-fry the savory sauce ingredients in a wok, then add 150g of stock, 5g of monosodium glutamate, a pinch of salt, wet water chestnut starch to thicken, then add a pinch of sesame oil to make the savory sauce. In a separate wok, stir-fry the sweet and sour sauce ingredients until cooked, add sugar, vinegar, 5g of monosodium glutamate, a pinch of salt, then add wet water chestnut starch to thicken, then add a pinch of sesame oil to make the sweet and sour sauce.
3
Step 3
When the fish is fully cooked, remove it from the water, pour 100g of boiling lard over the fish. Serve with two small bowls each of savory sauce and sweet and sour sauce on the side.
