Squirrel-Style Yellow Croaker

Name: Squirrel-Style Yellow Croaker
Prep time: 2 h 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 Yellow croaker (remove innards and gills, wash clean); Scallion whites (washed and cut into segments), to taste; Scallion greens (cut into thin shreds, for garnish), to taste; Fresh ginger (part sliced, part minced), to taste; Sichuan peppercorns (for marinating with scallions and ginger), to taste; Dry flour (to coat the fish evenly), to taste; Cooking oil (heated for deep-frying), to taste; 2 tsp Fine salt (for marinating); 1 tsp MSG (for marinating); 2 tsp Cooking wine (for marinating); Sichuan pepper-salt (to sprinkle over the fish), to taste; Chili powder (to sprinkle over the fish), to taste

Marinate the small yellow croaker, coat it in flour, and deep-fry until golden. Sprinkle with shredded scallion, minced ginger, Sichuan pepper salt, and chili powder for a crispy exterior and tender, flaky flesh.

2h 25m

Easy

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Ingredients

Yellow croaker (remove innards and gills, wash clean) 1

Scallion whites (washed and cut into segments) to taste

Scallion greens (cut into thin shreds, for garnish) to taste

Fresh ginger (part sliced, part minced) to taste

Sichuan peppercorns (for marinating with scallions and ginger) to taste

Dry flour (to coat the fish evenly) to taste

Cooking oil (heated for deep-frying) to taste

Fine salt (for marinating) 2 tsp

MSG (for marinating) 1 tsp

Cooking wine (for marinating) 2 tsp

Sichuan pepper-salt (to sprinkle over the fish) to taste

Chili powder (to sprinkle over the fish) to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Yellow Croaker

Remove the innards and gills from the yellow croakers and rinse clean. Wash the scallion whites and cut into segments. Cut the scallion greens into thin shreds. Wash the ginger, slice part of it, and mince the rest.

Marinate

In a large bowl holding the yellow croakers, add the salt, MSG, cooking wine, scallion segments, ginger slices, and Sichuan peppercorns. Marinate for two hours.

Coat with Flour

Pick out and discard the Sichuan peppercorns, scallion segments, and ginger slices. Sprinkle dry flour into the bowl and toss until the fish are evenly coated.

First Fry

Pour oil into a wok and heat it up. Adjust the heat to medium and slip the yellow croakers in one at a time. Fry until golden yellow, then remove from the oil.

Second Fry (Refry)

Turn the heat to high and bring the oil back up to temperature. Return the fish to the wok and fry a second time until the exterior is crisp and golden, then remove.

Plate and Season

Arrange the fried yellow croakers on a serving plate and sprinkle with the scallion shreds, minced ginger, Sichuan pepper-salt, and chili powder. Serve immediately.