Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish
Carp scored in a crosshatch pattern, coated in batter and deep-fried until crispy, then drizzled with sweet and sour sauce. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a sweet and tangy flavor.
Ingredients
Fresh carp (about 750g, scales, gills and innards removed, scored and marinated)
1 whole
Pickled red chili peppers (seeds removed, cut into thin strips)
2 pieces
Cooked lard
30g
Soy sauce (an additional 100g used in the steps)
45g
Vinegar
30g
Sugar
35g
Cooking wine (5g used in the steps)
10g
Salt
1g
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying the fish)
As needed
Cornstarch (dry starch for coating the fish, wet slurry for thickening)
As needed
Sesame oil (i.e., fragrant oil)
10g
Fresh broth
150g
Shredded scallion
As needed
Chopped scallion
As needed
Minced ginger
As needed
Minced garlic
As needed
Instructions
1
Prepare the fish
Scale the fish, remove the gills and innards, wash it clean, and pat dry with a clean cloth. On each side of the fish, first make vertical cuts 1 cm deep, then angle the knife flat to make cuts 2 cm deep, making 6 to 7 cuts per side at equal intervals.
2
Marinate
Combine 5g cooking wine, 5g soy sauce, and 1g salt in a bowl and soak the fish for about 5 minutes to absorb the flavors. Remove and pat dry with a clean cloth. Seed the pickled chilies and cut them into thin strips.
3
Deep-fry
Place a wok over medium heat and add vegetable oil. When the oil reaches about 80% hot, evenly coat the fish with relatively dry cornstarch. Hold the fish by the tail and lower the head into the oil first. Fry until the fish turns deep golden, then remove and place on a serving plate, gently patting to loosen.
4
Prepare the sauce
Add 100g soy sauce and 30g lard to the wok. Add the chopped scallion, minced garlic, and minced ginger and stir-fry until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce, 10g sesame oil, cornstarch slurry, cooking wine, sugar, vinegar, and 150g fresh broth into a sauce mixture, pour it into the wok, and stir well to make a medium-thick glaze. Add sesame oil, remove from heat, and pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle the shredded scallion and pickled chili strips on top and serve.
