Spicy Sichuan Boiled Fish Recipe | 水煮鱼

Try this at home, and let me know how it turns out! :)

INGREDIENTS:

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Fish 1 whole fish (such as tilapia, catfish, flounder, carp, or snakehead) 3/4 tsp salt (plus more salt to taste) ½ tsp ground white pepper (divided) 2 tbs Shaoxing wine (divided) 1 egg white 1½ tbs cornstarch Garnishing 1 tsp white sesame seeds 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tbs coarsely chopped cilantro Soup Base 2 tbs oil (plus an additional ½ to ¾ cups) 2 cups water (boiled) 5 slices ginger 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced) 2 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths) 1.5 tablespoon Sichuan chilli bean paste 3/4 pound soybean sprouts 15 grams dried red chili peppers (1/2 cup, de-seeded and chopped) 10 grams green Sichuan peppercorns 3 tablespoons)

INSTRUCTIONS

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Fillet the fish, for the fillet, cut the fish into ¼-inch thick slices at a 45-degree angle. The goal is to get pieces of fish with a lot of surface area, as they'll shrink once cooked. Clean and cut the fish bone & tail into the 5-6 pcs. Next, marinate the fish. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine. Mix well with hand. Add the egg white and mix, followed by 1½ tablespoons cornstarch. Mix until the marinade starts to feel "slimy". Marinate for at least 20 minutes. Marinate the bone the same way. In a wok set over high heat, add oil, pan fry the bone until golden brown, set aside. In the same pot, add ginger, garlic, scallions, chili bean paste, stir fry until fragrant (1min). Add 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine. Add boiled water and the stock to a boil. Add back the fish bone & salt to taste. Let it boil for 15 min. Now turn down the heat. Using a fine-meshed strainer, strain the solids out of the soup. Next, add the bean sprouts, and bring to a boil once more. Transfer the bean sprout to the serving dish. Now, in a small pot, slowly heat up 1/2 cup oil. To test whether the oil is heated to the correct temperature, dip a wooden/bamboo chopstick into the oil and look for small bubbles forming around it, but no smoke. When the oil is heating, bring the soup to a simmer. Place fish, one piece at a time, into the soup. Once all the fish is in the soup, turn up the heat and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, immediately pour everything (fish and soup) on top of the vegetables in the serving bowl. Sprinkle the dried chili peppers and the green Sichuan peppercorns evenly over the fish, and pour the heated oil evenly over everything. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle the chili and the peppercorns, but not hot enough to burn the spices. Add the garnishing. Serve immediately! =====END=======