Garlic Catfish

Name: Garlic Catfish
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 1 (~750 g) Live catfish (gutted from the belly, blood wiped clean, mouth tips and tail trimmed, scored along the back into connected segments); 50 g Garlic (select uniform-sized cloves, trim, season with salt and cooking wine, steam briefly with a small amount of stock, then cool); 15 g Cilantro hearts (washed, broken into short segments, drained); 15 g Pickled red chili peppers (seeds removed, cut into sections); 10 g Pixian doubanjiang (finely chopped); 500 g Vegetable oil; 15 g Cooking wine; 5 g Salt; 10 g Scallions (cut into sections); 10 g Ginger (cut into small squares); 20 g Sugar; 10 g Soy sauce; 10 g Vinegar (some used in braising, a small amount added at the end with the cornstarch slurry); 30 g Water chestnut starch slurry; 10 g Fermented rice wine juice (liǎozī zhī); 200 g Stock

Bright and glossy red in color, with tender delicate fish flesh, soft melt-in-the-mouth garlic, and rich mellow catfish aroma.

1h 10m

Easy

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Ingredients

Live catfish (gutted from the belly, blood wiped clean, mouth tips and tail trimmed, scored along the back into connected segments) 1 (~750 g)

Garlic (select uniform-sized cloves, trim, season with salt and cooking wine, steam briefly with a small amount of stock, then cool) 50 g

Cilantro hearts (washed, broken into short segments, drained) 15 g

Pickled red chili peppers (seeds removed, cut into sections) 15 g

Pixian doubanjiang (finely chopped) 10 g

Vegetable oil 500 g

Cooking wine 15 g

Salt 5 g

Scallions (cut into sections) 10 g

Ginger (cut into small squares) 10 g

Sugar 20 g

Soy sauce 10 g

Vinegar (some used in braising, a small amount added at the end with the cornstarch slurry) 10 g

Water chestnut starch slurry 30 g

Fermented rice wine juice (liǎozī zhī) 10 g

Stock 200 g

Instructions

Preparing the Catfish

Rinse the live catfish, make an incision along the belly, remove the innards, wipe away the blood with a clean cloth, trim off the mouth tips and the tail tip, and score the back into connected segments.

Pre-preparing the Garlic

Select uniform-sized garlic cloves, trim them, wash, and place in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, cooking wine, and a small amount of stock. Steam briefly, then remove and let cool.

Preparing the Aromatics

Cut the seeded pickled red chili peppers and scallions into sections. Cut the ginger into small squares. Finely chop the Pixian doubanjiang. Wash the cilantro hearts, break into short segments, and drain.

Frying the Fish

Heat a wok over high heat, add the vegetable oil, and heat to about 200°C (400°F). Briefly fry the catfish, then remove and set aside.

Braising

Reserve a small amount of oil in the wok, add the doubanjiang, and stir-fry until red. Pour in the stock; once boiling, skim out the doubanjiang solids. Add the catfish, salt, soy sauce, sugar, fermented rice wine juice, cooking wine, vinegar, pickled red chili peppers, scallions, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and braise until the fish is cooked through and flavorful. Add the steamed garlic and continue braising until the sauce thickens. Transfer the fish to a serving plate and arrange neatly.

Thickening and Plating

Thicken the remaining sauce in the wok with the starch slurry to make a thick gravy, then add a small splash of vinegar. Pour the sauce over the fish. Arrange the cilantro hearts at one end of the plate. Serve.