The intoxicating aroma of fermented rice wine, crisp fresh bamboo shoots, and incredibly tender fish fillets.
Glistening white fish fillets resemble pure snow shimmering under winter sunlight, while the deep, elusive aroma of fermented rice wine sauce hides beneath like buried treasure, intriguing and mysterious—a refined, refreshing, and elegant dish to savor.
To achieve such tender fish fillets, every step—from selecting the ingredients and marinating, to oil-blanching and the final stir-fry—is crucial and indispensable; any misstep along the way will undo all your efforts. So, to savor that supremely fresh and delicate flavor, give it your full attention!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
700 g black fish (about 200 g net fillet)
First, use fresh fish with few bones—preferably thick, tender fish like snakehead (mudfish), which is the best choice.
Additional Ingredients
appropriate amount of spring bamboo shoots and peas
If spring bamboo shoots are unavailable, winter bamboo shoots can be used instead.
Marinating Seasonings for the Fish
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) Shaoxing wine
1 g salt
Egg white and cornstarch, a small amount of each
Other Seasonings
25 g (about 1/4 cup) fermented rice wine sauce
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) Shaoxing wine
3 g sugar
1 g salt
Pepper to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Clean the fish, fillet the meat from both sides of the backbone, remove the skin, and slice into 0.5 cm (about 1/4 inch) thick pieces. Toss the fish slices with the marinating seasonings until evenly coated, then set aside to marinate (see Figure 2).
When marinating the fish fillets, first mix with salt and Shaoxing wine until well combined, then add egg white and cornstarch and mix again—be sure to follow this order.
② Peel the spring bamboo shoots, split them lengthwise, and slice into comb-shaped pieces. Shell the fresh peas (Image 3). Blanch both in boiling water, then drain and set aside (Image 4).
*Spring bamboo shoots have thick skins, so peel off several layers, otherwise they will be too tough to chew.
*Do not blanch for too long; just briefly dip in boiling water and remove.
Slide the fish fillets through oil until just cooked.
In a wok, pour in enough oil and heat to around 50% hot (about 300°F/150°C), then gently slide in the fish fillets (Image 5). Cook over medium heat, slowly sliding them until the surface turns completely white, then remove (Image 6) and drain the oil, setting the fish aside.
*The fish fillets should be gently cooked in warm oil until just done to stay tender and silky; if the oil is too hot, the fish will become dry and tough—the ideal temperature is when small bubbles appear around the fillets as they go in, and if no bubbles form, increase the heat slightly.
When flipping the fish fillets, slide the spatula underneath, then gently lift upward and carefully separate them—do not stir back and forth, or the fillets will break apart completely.
*When sliding the fish fillets, use fresh oil; if you use oil that has been used to cook other ingredients, it may contain food residue that will leave black specks all over the pristine white fish slices.
Sauté the fish fillets.
Pour out the oil without washing the pan, then add the fermented rice wine sauce and water directly into the pan in a 1:1 ratio, along with salt, sugar, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the fish slices, spring bamboo shoots, and peas. Cook over medium-low heat for about half a minute (Figure 7), then thicken with a cornstarch slurry and finish with a drizzle of oil for shine before serving (Figure 8).
*This dish aims for a pristine, translucent white appearance, so be sure to keep your wok spotlessly clean with no black residue.
*The quality of fermented rice wine sauce varies—some are salty, others mild—so always taste it before cooking to determine how much salt to add.
Once the main ingredients and garnishes are added to the broth and it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium; cooking over high heat will make the fish tough. Be careful not to stir or poke at the fish while it cooks, or it will break apart—just gently shake the pan instead.
When thickening the sauce, be careful not to make it too thick—a little liquid is fine, but ensure the ingredients are well-coated. This is what's known as a "glossy sauce," which is both translucent and clings to the food.