Ingredients
750 g fresh yellow croaker (about 1.5 lbs)
Seasonings
250 g scallion leaves, 200 g lettuce, 25 g Worcestershire sauce, 10 g each sesame oil, scallion sections, and ginger pieces, 5 g each salt, MSG, and Shaoxing wine.
Instructions
1. Scale the yellow croaker, remove the gills, widen the belly opening, use chopsticks to twist out the internal organs, and rinse clean; lightly crush scallion sections and ginger pieces, place them in a dish, add fine salt water, MSG, and cooking wine, then submerge the yellow croaker in the marinade for 1 hour, remove and pat dry, steam until cooked through, use chopsticks to peel off the skin, and pull out the dorsal fin and backbone.
2. Sprinkle a 7 mm (about 1/4 inch) layer of fragrant sawdust in the bottom of the wok, place a wire rack inside, and evenly spread the washed scallion leaves on the rack. Arrange the steamed yellow croaker on top of the scallion leaves, cover with a lid, and heat over the fire until the wok turns slightly red and the sawdust begins to smoke. Immediately remove the wok from the heat and smoke the fish for 20 minutes. Take out the fish, place it on a plate, remove the backbone, and brush with a layer of sesame oil. Wash the lettuce, tear it into pieces, and arrange it around the fish. This dish has a rich red color and a clean, fragrant flavor.