Vinegar and Pepper Mandarin Fish
A classic Shandong dish featuring a clear, savory broth with tender fish in a tangy, peppery, and lightly spicy sauce. Delicate in flavor yet rich and appetizing.
Ingredients
Mandarin fish (Guiyu)
1000g
Cilantro segments
25g
Scallion segments
25g
Shredded scallion
10g
Sichuan peppercorns
5g
White pepper
5g
Clear broth
100g
Shaoxing wine
20g
Refined salt
4g
Vinegar
40g
Ginger
10g
Rendered lard (cooked pork fat)
100g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Scale and clean the mandarin fish, remove the gills, take out the innards through the gill opening, rinse well, briefly blanch in boiling water, then place in cold water and scrape off the black skin. Make diagonal cross-hatch cuts on both sides of the fish every 2 cm apart, then briefly dip in boiling water.
2
Step 2
Place the rendered lard in a wok and heat over medium heat until 50% hot (about 110°C). Add the scallion segments, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, and white pepper. Once fragrant, add the clear broth, Shaoxing wine, and refined salt. When it boils, add the mandarin fish and cook over high heat for 15 minutes. Add the vinegar, then remove and discard the scallions, ginger, peppercorns, and pepper.
3
Step 3
Transfer to a large soup bowl, sprinkle with cilantro segments, shredded scallion, and white pepper powder. Serve immediately.
