Sweet and Sour Carp
A classic Shandong dish: the carp is scored along the back, marinated, and deep-fried until golden and crisp, then topped with a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce. Balanced in flavor with a crisp exterior and tender, flaky flesh.
Ingredients
Carp (cleaned, with two 3cm slits cut on the back)
1
Soy sauce (for making the starch sauce)
to taste
Refined salt (for marinating and seasoning)
to taste
MSG (for seasoning)
to taste
Cooking wine (for marinating)
to taste
Vinegar (for making the starch sauce)
to taste
White sugar (for making the starch sauce)
to taste
Wet starch (for coating and thickening sauce)
to taste
Scallion, ginger, garlic (for frying to release fragrance)
to taste
Instructions
1
Marinate
Cut two 3cm slits on the back of the carp, sprinkle with refined salt and cooking wine, and marinate briefly.
2
Fry the carp
Mix the above seasonings into a starch sauce. Sprinkle wet starch on the slits, then fry in oil heated to 70% until the skin hardens. Move to low heat and deep fry for 3 minutes, then switch to high heat and fry until golden brown. Remove, arrange on a plate, and gently loosen the carp with your hands.
3
Pour the sauce
Fry the scallion, ginger, and garlic in a pot until fragrant, then pour in the prepared starch sauce. When the sauce bubbles, pour in the hot oil used for frying the carp, stir briefly, then quickly pour the sauce over the carp.
