Paper-Wrapped Live Mandarin Fish
Marinated mandarin fish wrapped in aluminum foil, baked in the oven with a sauce of pickled mustard greens and paocai.
Ingredients
Live mandarin fish (about 600g)
1 fish
Pickled potherb mustard (chopped)
50g
Crushed dried chili
10g
Pickled vegetables (chopped)
30g
Peanut oil
100g
Salt
to taste
MSG
to taste
Rice vinegar
50g
Wet cornstarch
15g
Cooking wine
10g
Ginger (finely chopped)
a pinch
Scallion (finely chopped)
a pinch
White pepper
a pinch
Chicken broth
50g
Sesame oil
5g
Aluminum foil
2 sheets
Instructions
1
Marinate
Clean and gut the mandarin fish, score diagonal cuts on both sides, and marinate with salt, MSG, cooking wine, and white pepper for 10 minutes. Chop the pickled potherb mustard and pickled vegetables. Finely chop the scallion and ginger.
2
Prepare the Sauce
Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry the pickled potherb mustard, pickled vegetables, ginger, and dried chili until fragrant. Pour in the rice vinegar, add salt, MSG, and chicken broth, and simmer to infuse the flavors. Thicken with cornstarch, sprinkle with scallion, and drizzle with sesame oil to finish the sauce. Set aside.
3
Wrap and Bake
Lay out one sheet of aluminum foil and spread some sauce on it. Place the mandarin fish on the sauce, then pour another layer of sauce over the fish. Cover with the second sheet of foil and fold the edges together to seal tightly. Bake in a 200°C oven for 15 minutes, remove, and transfer to a serving plate.
