Pine Nut Yellow Croaker

Name: Pine Nut Yellow Croaker
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 (about 600 g) yellow croaker (butterflied and cleaned; cut off the head and set it aside; remove the backbone and small bones); 5 g green peas (cooked); 5 g pine nuts (toasted); 1 scallion (washed and finely chopped); 1 small piece ginger (washed and finely chopped); 3 cloves garlic (washed and finely chopped); starch (spread a thin layer of wet starch over the fish), to taste; cooking wine, to taste; soy sauce (for mixing the sauce), to taste; stock (for mixing the sauce), to taste; sugar (for mixing the sauce), to taste; aromatic vinegar (for mixing the sauce), to taste; MSG (for mixing the sauce), to taste; fine salt (sprinkled over the fish), to taste; preheated cooking oil (drizzled over at the end), to taste

Deboned and scored yellow croaker is fried until crisp, then drizzled with a sweet-and-sour starch-thickened sauce containing pine nuts and green peas. The finished dish is crisp outside, tender inside, and rich with sweet-and-sour flavor.

50 min

Easy

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Ingredients

yellow croaker (butterflied and cleaned; cut off the head and set it aside; remove the backbone and small bones) 1 (about 600 g)

green peas (cooked) 5 g

pine nuts (toasted) 5 g

scallion (washed and finely chopped) 1

ginger (washed and finely chopped) 1 small piece

garlic (washed and finely chopped) 3 cloves

starch (spread a thin layer of wet starch over the fish) to taste

cooking wine to taste

soy sauce (for mixing the sauce) to taste

stock (for mixing the sauce) to taste

sugar (for mixing the sauce) to taste

aromatic vinegar (for mixing the sauce) to taste

MSG (for mixing the sauce) to taste

fine salt (sprinkled over the fish) to taste

preheated cooking oil (drizzled over at the end) to taste

Instructions

Prepare the fish

Butterfly the yellow croaker and clean it thoroughly. Cut off the head and set it aside. Wash and finely chop the scallion, ginger, and garlic.

Remove the bones and score the fish

Cut along the backbone to divide the fish into two halves connected only at the tail. Remove all the backbone bones and small bones.

Season and coat

Score the flesh side of both halves in a wheat-ear pattern. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with cooking wine, and coat with wet starch.

Fry and arrange

Pour oil into a wok and heat it over high heat. Fry the fish head briefly, remove it, split it open, and flatten it with the back of a cleaver. Fry the fish body until golden brown, then remove it and arrange it flat on a platter with the head.

Mix the sauce

Combine the cooking wine, soy sauce, stock, sugar, aromatic vinegar, and MSG to make the sauce.

Add the sauce and finish

Leave a little oil in the wok and heat it. Toast the pine nuts and green peas, then add the chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic and continue stir-frying. Pour in the sauce, drizzle in some preheated cooking oil, and bring to a boil. Spoon the sauce over the fried fish to serve.