Whole Fried Cucumber Fish

Name: Whole Fried Cucumber Fish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cucumber fish (scaled, gilled, gutted; make 6.6 cm diagonal cuts to the backbone every 2 cm on both sides); 1250 g (about 200 g used) peanut oil (for frying); 60 g dried starch (to coat the fish); 50 g pork fat (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips); 50 g winter bamboo shoots (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips); 15 g soaked dried shiitake mushrooms (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips); 1 fresh chili (washed, deseeded, cut into 3.3 cm thin strips); 50 g ketchup; 50 g soy sauce; 50 g vinegar; to taste sugar; 300 g pork bone broth; 30 g wet starch (diluted for thickening); 15 g scallion segments; 1 g white pepper; 0.5 g sesame oil (drizzled on the fish)

A traditional Fujian-style fried yellow croaker dish. Diagonal slashes are cut into both sides of the fish, which is deep-fried until golden and finished with a sweet and sour sauce.

35 min

Easy

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Ingredients

cucumber fish (scaled, gilled, gutted; make 6.6 cm diagonal cuts to the backbone every 2 cm on both sides) 1

peanut oil (for frying) 1250 g (about 200 g used)

dried starch (to coat the fish) 60 g

pork fat (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips) 50 g

winter bamboo shoots (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips) 50 g

soaked dried shiitake mushrooms (cut into 3.3 cm thin strips) 15 g

fresh chili (washed, deseeded, cut into 3.3 cm thin strips) 1

ketchup 50 g

soy sauce 50 g

vinegar 50 g

sugar to taste

pork bone broth 300 g

wet starch (diluted for thickening) 30 g

scallion segments 15 g

white pepper 1 g

sesame oil (drizzled on the fish) 0.5 g

Instructions

Preparing the fish

Scale the cucumber fish and remove the gills. Make a horizontal cut at the lower belly to remove the innards, then wash and pat dry. Along both sides of the fish, make 6.6 cm long diagonal cuts, deep to the backbone, every 2 cm. Coat the entire fish evenly with dried starch. Wash the chili, remove the seeds, and cut it together with the pork fat, winter bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into 3.3 cm thin strips.

Frying the fish

Place a wok over high heat, add peanut oil, and heat until nearly smoking. Lower the fish into the oil and fry for 5 minutes, then flip and fry for another 5 minutes until golden. Transfer the fish to a colander to drain, place on a large oval platter, and sprinkle with white pepper.

Making the sauce and pouring it over the fish

Place a wok over high heat, add 25 g peanut oil, and heat until 70% hot. Add the pork fat, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, chili strips, scallion segments, and ketchup, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and sugar and stir briefly. Pour in the pork bone broth and bring to a boil. Thicken with the diluted wet starch, add the vinegar and 30 g peanut oil, stir to combine, then pour the sauce over the fried fish and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve immediately.