Roasted Flower-Wrapped Mandarin Fish

Name: Roasted Flower-Wrapped Mandarin Fish
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 750 g fresh mandarin fish; 25 g chicken tenderloin; 50 g pork back fat; 20 g rehydrated dried scallops; 15 g rehydrated sea cucumber; 15 g winter bamboo shoots; 20 g dried shiitake mushrooms; 15 g ham; 20 g pork belly; 20 g pork caul fat; 20 g Shaoxing wine; 5 g fine salt; 15 g scallion segments; 10 g ginger slices; 10 g Sichuan peppercorns; 20 g fragrant vinegar; egg whites, to taste; flour, to taste; water, to taste

A classic Shandong (Lu) cuisine dish, nutritious with a fragrant exterior and tender flesh, slightly pink at the center, and exceptionally fresh in flavor.

1h 40m

Easy

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Ingredients

fresh mandarin fish 750 g

chicken tenderloin 25 g

pork back fat 50 g

rehydrated dried scallops 20 g

rehydrated sea cucumber 15 g

winter bamboo shoots 15 g

dried shiitake mushrooms 20 g

ham 15 g

pork belly 20 g

pork caul fat 20 g

Shaoxing wine 20 g

fine salt 5 g

scallion segments 15 g

ginger slices 10 g

Sichuan peppercorns 10 g

fragrant vinegar 20 g

egg whites to taste

flour to taste

water to taste

Instructions

Prepare the mandarin fish

Scale the mandarin fish, trim away the dorsal spines, score both sides along the body, draw out the innards through the gills and mouth, and rinse thoroughly. Briefly blanch in boiling water, immediately transfer to cold water, and scrape off the dark skin. Slit open the mouth and lower jaw, make diagonal scoring on both sides, place the fish on a plate, add Shaoxing wine, fine salt, scallion segments, ginger slices, and Sichuan peppercorns, and marinate for about 15 minutes.

Make the chicken paste

Remove the tendons from the chicken tenderloin, then mince it finely together with the pork back fat. Add egg whites, Shaoxing wine, and fine salt, and stir vigorously into a smooth paste. Set aside.

Prepare the filling

Cut the pork belly into 0.7 cm cubes and blanch in boiling water until just cooked; drain and set aside. Cut the sea cucumber, winter bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into 0.7 cm cubes, blanch them together with the dried scallops in stock, and drain well. Combine with the pork belly cubes, season with Shaoxing wine and fine salt, and marinate for 3 minutes. Cut the ham into slices 6 cm long, 2 cm wide, and 0.3 cm thick.

Wrap and roast the fish

Rinse the pork caul fat and trim off the thicker membranes. Mix the flour with water to make a smooth batter. Remove the scallions, ginger, and peppercorns from the marinated fish. Stuff the diced filling mixture into the fish cavity, tuck a slice of ham into each diagonal opening along the back, and spread the chicken paste evenly over the outside. Lay the fish on the pork caul fat and wrap it snugly, brush the outside with the batter, and place on an iron grate. Set the grate over a charcoal fire pit and roast slowly for about 1 hour. Remove, peel off the caul fat wrapper, and arrange on a fish platter to serve.