Chongqing-Style Pickled Mustard Fish Hot Pot
A Chongqing-style hotpot base made with pickled mustard greens and grass carp. The fish is tender, and the mildly spicy, tangy broth has an appealing color.
Ingredients
Fresh grass carp (split the head lengthwise, slice the flesh diagonally into slices about 6 cm long and 0.2 cm thick, and chop the bones into pieces)
1000 g
Pickled mustard green stalks (sliced)
200 g
Scallion segments
20 g
Sliced ginger
15 g
Sliced garlic
10 g
Pickled wild chili peppers (stems removed and chopped into small pieces)
100 g
Fine salt
5 g
Ground pepper
5 g
Cooking wine
20 g
Egg-white starch slurry (for marinating)
25 g
Chicken bouillon powder
5 g
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
3 g
Fresh pork bone broth
1000 g
Rendered pork fat
200 g
Instructions
1
Preparation
Scale, gut, and thoroughly clean the grass carp. Split the fish head lengthwise down the center, slice the flesh diagonally into slices about 6 cm long and 0.2 cm thick, and chop the fish bones into pieces. Mix the fish head, bones, and flesh with an appropriate amount of fine salt, cooking wine, ground pepper, and egg-white starch slurry, then marinate. Slice the pickled mustard green stalks. Remove the stems from the pickled wild chili peppers and chop them into small pieces.
2
Broth Base Preparation
Set a wok over medium heat, add the rendered pork fat, and heat it to a moderately hot temperature, roughly four-tenths of full frying heat. Add the scallion segments, ginger, garlic, pickled mustard greens, and wild chili peppers, and stir-fry until fragrant. Pour in the broth and season with fine salt, cooking wine, and ground pepper. Add the fish head and bones and simmer until the flavors have developed. Gently loosen the fish slices and slide them into the broth. Cook until just done, stir in the chicken bouillon powder and MSG, and transfer everything to a serving bowl. The broth in the bowl forms the finished hot pot base.
