Crispy Fish

Name: Crispy Fish
Prep time: 2 h 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 40 min
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 1 (about 2500 g) Black carp (or grass carp), scaled, gilled, gutted with the cavity patted clean, split in half and diagonally sliced into about 1.6 cm tile-shaped pieces; 25 g Ginger chunks (crushed); 25 g Scallion (crushed); 15 g Fine salt (for marinating); 3 g Star anise; 3 g Fennel; 3 g Cinnamon bark; 5 g Five-spice powder (for braising sauce and for dusting when eating); 50 g Sugar (for braising sauce); 30 g Fermented rice wine (zaoshao, for braising sauce); 125 g Shaoxing wine (100 g for marinating, 25 g for braising sauce); 25 g Soy sauce (for marinating); 1500 g (about 200 g actually used) Cooked rapeseed oil (for frying; oil that has been used twice is best; about 200 g actually consumed)

A traditional Zhejiang dish featuring fish pieces that are first fried, then braised until crispy on the outside and tender within, with a balanced sweet, salty, and savory flavor.

5 hours

Easy

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Ingredients

Black carp (or grass carp), scaled, gilled, gutted with the cavity patted clean, split in half and diagonally sliced into about 1.6 cm tile-shaped pieces 1 (about 2500 g)

Ginger chunks (crushed) 25 g

Scallion (crushed) 25 g

Fine salt (for marinating) 15 g

Star anise 3 g

Fennel 3 g

Cinnamon bark 3 g

Five-spice powder (for braising sauce and for dusting when eating) 5 g

Sugar (for braising sauce) 50 g

Fermented rice wine (zaoshao, for braising sauce) 30 g

Shaoxing wine (100 g for marinating, 25 g for braising sauce) 125 g

Soy sauce (for marinating) 25 g

Cooked rapeseed oil (for frying; oil that has been used twice is best; about 200 g actually consumed) 1500 g (about 200 g actually used)

Instructions

Prepare the fish pieces

Scale and remove the gills from the fish, wash, open the belly and remove the entrails, pat the blood water inside dry with a clean cloth, split the fish in half, and use a slanted knife to slice it into about 1.6 cm tile-shaped pieces. Place the pieces into a large enamel tray, add 100 g of Shaoxing wine, 15 g of fine salt, and soy sauce to marinate for about 2 hours. Then remove the fish, air-dry it, and divide it into two portions for later use.

Make the braising sauce

Place 500 g of water, 25 g of Shaoxing wine, the crushed scallion, the crushed ginger, star anise, cinnamon bark, and sugar into a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and simmer until the liquid becomes sticky and viscous. Fish out and discard the scallion, ginger, fennel, and cinnamon bark, stir in the fermented rice wine, remove from the heat, and set the sauce aside.

Deep-fry the fish pieces

Set another large pot over high heat and add the rapeseed oil. When the oil reaches about 225°C (about 90% hot), take one portion of the fish and lower the pieces into the pot one by one. Fry until the outside forms a shell, then lift them out with a slotted spoon. When the oil returns to 90% hot, return the fish to the pot and refry until the outside turns deep brown, then remove with the slotted spoon.

Braise in the sauce

Place the fried fish pieces into the braising sauce, cover, and braise for about 1 hour, then remove. Fry and braise the second portion of fish in the same way.