Pan-Fried Black Fish with Yunnan Ham

Name: Pan-Fried Black Fish with Yunnan Ham
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 black fish (about 1500g); 600 g Yunnan ham; 300 g pork fat; 2 eggs; 150 g rendered pork lard (about 20g used); 2 g MSG; 2 g ground white pepper; 10 g sugar; 5 g chili strips; 5 g five-spice powder; 10 g scallion; 40 g wet cornstarch; 10 g ginger; 10 g ground Sichuan pepper; 15 g Shaoxing wine; 30 g dry cornstarch; 1 carved garnish

A traditional Kunming specialty made by layering pork fat, black fish, and ham, then pan-frying to create distinct, crispy-yet-tender layers with a savory, salty flavor.

40 min

Easy

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Ingredients

black fish (about 1500g) 1

Yunnan ham 600 g

pork fat 300 g

eggs 2

rendered pork lard (about 20g used) 150 g

MSG 2 g

ground white pepper 2 g

sugar 10 g

chili strips 5 g

five-spice powder 5 g

scallion 10 g

wet cornstarch 40 g

ginger 10 g

ground Sichuan pepper 10 g

Shaoxing wine 15 g

dry cornstarch 30 g

carved garnish 1

Instructions

Slice and Marinate

Slaughter the black fish, remove the innards, rinse clean, then debone and skin it. Cut the flesh into rectangular slices 6 cm long, 4 cm wide, and 5 mm thick. Place in a bowl and add sugar, MSG, scallion, ginger juice, ground white pepper, five-spice powder, and Shaoxing wine to marinate. Slice the pork fat into the same shape as the fish slices, about 2.5 mm thick. Cut the Yunnan ham into the same shape as the pork fat, about 5 mm thick. Beat the eggs together with the wet cornstarch to make a batter.

Assemble and Shape

Blanch the pork fat slices in boiling water, remove, and pat dry thoroughly with a clean towel. Spread a thin layer of the egg batter over the pork fat, lay on a fish slice, spread another layer of batter on top, cover with a slice of Yunnan ham, and press firmly together. Dust the pork-fat side with the dry cornstarch.

Pan-Fry to Finish

Heat a wok over the fire and add the rendered pork lard. First fry the Yunnan-ham side until fragrant, then pour off the oil and flip the stacks. Fry the other side until golden brown, drain off the oil, and transfer to a serving plate. Arrange the pieces in a ring, place the carved garnish in the center, and scatter the chili strips around the rim of the plate. Serve at the table with ground Sichuan pepper on the side.