Crispy Crucian Carp
A cold appetizer featuring crucian carp first fried until fragrant, then slow-simmered until fall-apart tender—crispy, savory, and subtly sweet.
Ingredients
crucian carp (gutted, cleaned, and scored along the back)
1
shredded ginger
to taste
shredded scallion
to taste
shredded dried chili
to taste
fine salt
to taste
MSG
to taste
sugar
to taste
broth
to taste
cooking wine
to taste
vinegar
to taste
ground pepper
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the fish
Gut and clean the crucian carp thoroughly. Score the cleaned fish along the back with a few deep cuts.
2
Fry the fish
Deep-fry the crucian carp in hot oil until fragrant and golden.
3
Braise
Heat oil in a pan and stir-fry the shredded ginger, scallion, and dried chili until fragrant. Add the broth, MSG, salt, sugar, vinegar, ground pepper, and cooking wine. Place the fried crucian carp into the pan and braise over low heat until the flesh is completely tender and falling off the bone.
