Squirrel Mandarin Fish
A classic Jiangsu dish featuring fish scored and fried until golden and crispy, then drizzled with a sweet and sour sauce. Its curled, crispy shape resembles a squirrel.
Ingredients
Mandarin fish (scaled, gilled, gutted and cleaned)
1
Dry starch (for coating the fish)
to taste
Tomato sauce (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Fresh stock (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Sugar (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Rice vinegar (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Cooking wine (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Salt (for marinating and seasoning)
to taste
Shaoxing wine (for marinating the fish)
to taste
Minced garlic cloves (for stir-frying)
to taste
Diced bamboo shoots (for stir-frying)
to taste
Diced shiitake mushrooms (for stir-frying)
to taste
Peas (for stir-frying)
to taste
Lard (for deep-frying the fish and stir-frying)
to taste
Diced shrimp (mixed into the sauce)
to taste
Sesame oil (for drizzling)
to taste
Wet starch (for seasoning sauce)
to taste
Scallion segments (for stir-frying until fragrant)
to taste
Instructions
1
Score the fish
Remove the scales, gills and internal organs from the mandarin fish, then clean it thoroughly. Place the fish skin-side down, make vertical cuts on the flesh first, followed by diagonal cuts, deep enough to reach the skin to form diamond-shaped patterns.
2
Marinate
Mix Shaoxing wine and fine salt evenly, then rub the mixture all over the fish head and flesh.
3
Coat with starch
Roll the fish in dry starch, hold the fish tail and shake off any excess starch.
4
Prepare the sauce
Place tomato in a bowl, add fresh stock, sugar, rice vinegar, cooking wine, salt and wet starch, stir to combine into a seasoning sauce.
5
Deep-fry the fish
Heat a wok over high heat, add lard and heat to 80% of its smoking point. First, curl the two flesh pieces and lift the fish tail, place the fish in the oil and fry briefly to set its shape. Then put the whole fish into the oil and fry until golden brown, then remove and set aside.
6
Plate the fish
Place the fried fish on a serving plate, attach the fish head to the body to form a squirrel shape.
7
Pour the sauce over
Leave a small amount of oil in the wok, add scallion segments and stir-fry until fragrant, then remove the scallions. Add minced garlic cloves, diced bamboo shoots, diced shiitake mushrooms and peas, stir-fry until cooked. Add the prepared seasoning sauce, bring to a boil over high heat and cook until thickened. Add lard and diced shrimp, mix well, drizzle with sesame oil, then pour the sauce over the fried fish and serve.
