Sichuan boiled fish (Shui Zhu Yu, 水煮鱼)
Tender and silky fish combines perfectly with a spicy and flavorful broth to create the irresistible Sichuan Boiled Fish. Today, I'll share a detailed recipe so you can recreate this authentic Chinese dish right at home.
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When making Sichuan Boiled Fish, it's crucial to maintain the tender texture of the fish. The fish shouldn't be overcooked, nor should it lack flavor—achieving the perfect balance requires some skill. Next, I'll go over the key tips for preparing this dish.
1. What is Sichuan Boiled Fish?
Sichuan Boiled Fish, also known as Jiang Shui Boiled Fish or Boiled Fish Slices, is a classic dish from the Sichuan-Chongqing region of China, belonging to the Sichuan cuisine family. Originating from the Cuiyun Township in Yubei District, Chongqing, this dish has long been a local favorite.
The main ingredients of Sichuan Boiled Fish include fresh grass carp, bean sprouts, and chili peppers. Its unique texture and flavor are what make it stand out. The dish is known for being rich but not greasy, spicy without being overwhelming, numbing without bitterness, and features tender fish that perfectly captures the essence of Sichuan cuisine.
2. Can I Use Frozen Fish?
In China, fresh fish is typically used to make Sichuan Boiled Fish to ensure a tender and succulent texture. For the best results, I recommend using fresh fish fillets rather than frozen ones.
In many Chinese restaurants, you'll find tanks where customers can choose live fish to be freshly prepared on the spot. If you're not a fan of fish, you might want to try Sichuan Boiled Beef instead.
3. Spicy and Numbing Sensation
Authentic Sichuan Boiled Fish is known for its bold and spicy flavor, thanks to the generous amount of chili peppers and doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste) used in its preparation. Additionally, Sichuan peppercorns are added, which create a tingling, numbing sensation in your mouth.
If you're a fan of spicy food, this dish will leave a lasting impression. However, if you prefer milder flavors or can’t handle too much heat, you can adjust the amount of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns to suit your taste.
4. Ingredients and Substitutes
Grass Carp: Opt for fresh grass carp, ideally around 2 pounds in weight. If grass carp isn't available, you can substitute with snakehead fish, carp, or crucian carp.
Seasonings: Some specific Chinese seasonings like Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste) and Sichuan peppercorns may need to be purchased from an Asian grocery store. If you can't find them locally, online shopping is a good option.
If Doubanjiang is unavailable, you can substitute it with other chili sauces, though the flavor might differ slightly. If Sichuan peppercorns are hard to find, you can use black pepper instead, but keep in mind that it won't provide the characteristic numbing sensation.
5. Heat Control
Fish Bones: When pan-frying the grass carp bones, cook them just until both sides are golden brown. Avoid cooking them for too long.
Chili Peppers and Sichuan Peppercorns: When stir-frying the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns in oil, use low heat and cook slowly to prevent burning. You just need to bring out their aroma.
6. Using Doubanjiang
Doubanjiang is the heart of this dish, and it's essential to cook it until the red oil is released, which will enrich the flavor of the broth.
For better results, you can finely chop the Doubanjiang before cooking, making it easier to bring out its aroma and deepen the flavor.
7. Cooking Tips for Fish
Cleaning the Fish: Thoroughly clean the grass carp to remove any blood and reduce the fishy smell.
Cooking the Fish Bones: Start by boiling the fish bones for about 10 minutes. This will enhance the flavor of the broth.
Cooking the Fish Fillets: Once the fish fillets are added to the pot, simmer them on low heat. As soon as they are just cooked through, remove them to avoid overcooking, which can make the fish tough.
Serving: Place the cooked fish fillets in a clay pot, then pour a generous amount of the red oil broth over them. Let the side vegetables soak in the broth to absorb more flavor.
8. More Fish Recipes
Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens (Suan Cai Yu)
Many people think that Sichuan Boiled Fish is a difficult recipe, but with a little patience, you can make it perfectly. Let's dive in and try making this dish together!
INGREDIENTS
MAIN INGREDIENTS
- 1 grass carp (about 2 pounds)
ACCESSORIES
- 1 head of lettuce
- 10 dried chili peppers
- 1 Chinese celery stalk
- 3 scallions
- 15 cloves of garlic
- 1 piece of ginger
SEASONINGS
- 3g white pepper powder
- 3 tablespoons cooking wine
- 20g Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 4g salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 20g Sichuan peppercorns
- 100g peanut oil
- 20g Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste)
- 1000ml boiling water
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
After preparing the grass carp (about 2 pounds), clean it thoroughly and pat it dry.
Tip:
If you're not comfortable with cleaning and cutting the fish, you can ask the butcher to do it for you when purchasing.
STEP 2
Break Down the Fish:
Carefully fillet the fish along the bones, separating the fish meat, fish bones, and fish breastbones. Cut the fish bones and breastbones into sections. Split the fish head in half. Slice the fish meat into thin pieces and set aside.
STEP 3
Season the Fish:
Place the sliced fish meat and bones into a bowl. Add 6 slices of ginger, 1 teaspoon of white pepper powder, and salt.
STEP 4
Marinate:
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of cooking wine over the fish, then mix well. Once evenly coated, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix again.
STEP 5
Marinate:
Let the fish marinate for 15 minutes.
STEP 6
Prepare the Ingredients:
Dried Chili Peppers: Wash 10 dried chili peppers and cut them into sections.
Scallions: Wash 3 scallions and finely chop them.
Garlic: Wash 15 cloves of garlic and mince them.
Peppercorns: Wash the Sichuan peppercorns and Sichuan pepper and set aside.
Ginger: Slice half of the ginger and julienne the other half.
Chinese Celery: Peel, wash, and slice the Chinese celery stalk, then cut the leaves into sections.Lettuce: Wash the lettuce.
STEP 7
Prepare the Base:
Lay the washed lettuce in the bottom of a clay pot.
STEP 8
Pan-Fry the Fish Head and Bones:
Heat a wok and add oil. Place the fish head and fish bones in the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
STEP 9
Remove the Bones:
Once the fish bones are golden brown, remove them from the wok and set aside.
STEP 10
Prepare the Sauce:
In a separate pan, heat some oil and add the ginger julienne, minced garlic, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and Sichuan pepper (using half the amount of chili peppers and peppercorns). Sauté over low heat until fragrant.
Once the chili peppers and peppercorns release their aroma, add 20g of Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste) and continue to cook over low heat until the oil turns red.
STEP 11
Add Flavor and Simmer:
Add 1 tablespoon of white sugar and mix well until the sugar is fully incorporated, allowing the Sichuan chili paste to release its aroma.
Add the fried fish pieces and stir-fry over high heat.
Pour in the boiling water and bring to a vigorous boil.
Once the red oil broth reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes to extract the flavor from the fish bones.
STEP 12
Add Fish Breastbones:
Add the fish breastbones to the pot.
STEP 13
Add Celery and Cook:
Add the sliced Chinese celery and cook until everything is about 80% done.
STEP 14
Cook the Celery and Celery Leaves:
Cook the celery slices for about 3 minutes, then add the celery leaves and cook until they are just tender.
Tip:
As soon as the celery leaves are tender, immediately remove the fish head, fish bones, celery slices, and celery leaves from the pot. Arrange all the ingredients on top of the lettuce in the clay pot.
STEP 15
Blanch the Lettuce:
Use the heat from the fish head and fish bones to blanch the butter lettuce until just cooked.
STEP 16
Cook the Fish Slices:
Reduce the heat to low in the wok with the red oil broth and add the fish slices one by one.
STEP 17
Simmer the Fish Slices:
Cook the fish slices until they are just done.
STEP 18
Remove the Fish Slices:
As soon as the fish slices are cooked through (about 3 minutes), immediately remove them from the pot.
STEP 19
Arrange the Fish Slices:
Place the cooked fish slices on top of the lettuce in the clay pot.
STEP 20
Add Toppings:
Evenly sprinkle the chopped scallions, minced garlic, dried chili pepper sections, Sichuan peppercorns, and Sichuan pepper over the fish.
STEP 21
Heat the Oil:
Heat some oil until hot, then pour it over the toppings to release the aroma.
Recipe analyzer
- Recipes: Sichuan boiled fish (Shui Zhu Yu, 水煮鱼)
- Main Ingredients:7
- Servings per recipe:1
- Servings size:1.6 kg
-
Energy (calories)：285 kcal
-
Protein：15 g
-
Fat：1.6 g
Why gray?
-
Carbohydrates：64.89 g
-
Protein: 13%38 kcal
-
Fat: 5%13 kcal
-
Carbohydrates: 82%236 kcal
The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.
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