Soft-Fried Fish
Soft-fried fish is a traditional Zhejiang deep-fried dish made by coating fish in a light batter and frying until golden, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender, juicy interior.
Ingredients
fish fillet (sliced into thick pieces, then cut into strips about 2 inches long)
150 g
finely chopped scallion
15 g
minced ginger
15 g
Shaoxing wine
10 ml
fine salt
2 g
MSG
3 g
sesame oil
3 g
old starter dough (for making the fermented batter)
50 g
dry flour
100 g
lard (for frying)
to taste
peanut oil (mixed into the fermented batter)
to taste
baking soda (to neutralize acidity after fermentation)
a pinch
Instructions
1
Marinate the Fish Strips
Slice the fish fillet into thick pieces about 3/10 of an inch thick, then cut into strips about 2 inches long and 1/3 inch square. Put them in a bowl, add the chopped scallion, minced ginger, Shaoxing wine, fine salt, MSG, and sesame oil, and marinate until seasoned.
2
Prepare the Fermented Batter
Place the old starter dough in a bowl, dissolve it with water, add the dry flour and an appropriate amount of cold water, and stir into a thick batter. Leave it to rise at about 30 °C. Once the batter has fermented and become puffy, stir in a small amount of baking soda, then mix in the peanut oil until evenly combined.
3
Deep-Fry the Fish
Heat lard in a wok over gentle flame until it reaches about 150 °C (medium-low heat). Dip each marinated fish strip into the fermented batter to coat it, then lower it into the hot oil using a slotted spoon and turn to fry evenly. When the batter puffs up on contact with the hot oil and turns golden, lift out and drain off the excess oil. Discard any loose batter bits clinging to the outside of the fish, arrange the fish on a plate, and serve.
