Xila fish (spicy braised whole fish)

Public reference · Home adaptation In the Luoyang water banquet menu the four main courses are called the “four centrepieces”, four seats meant to anchor the table; in this version they are peony yancai, xila fish, liaozi quanji and honey eight-treasure rice — two savoury centrepieces followed by a sweet one, landing exactly where the meal turns from savoury to sweet. The exact pairing of those four seats is not consistent across versions, so this is only one published arrangement. Fish holds a real place on the water banquet table, and Luoyang sits on the Yellow River, where carp, crucian carp and grass carp are all common; there is a custom of dividing the fish's head, tail and belly among different guests, but the details differ by household and no single rule is asserted here. **The account that the water banquet began in the Tang dynasty and is connected to Empress Wu's accession is a local legend, not established history**; likewise, the “water” in “water banquet” refers to the soups served with the hot dishes and to the way courses follow one another, not to a table made only of liquid. Public sources do not agree on what the “xi” in “xila” refers to, so this version does not guess. The menu record gives only the name and no method; the technique here comes from a published seat-level description with no dedicated correspondence to the water banquet, and the dish appears in different menus as “西辣鱼”, “西辣鲤鱼” and “西辣鱼片”. **The menu record gives only the dish name and no method; the technique here is taken from a published seat-level description (a transcription of the Luoyang Haochiwang method) and has no dedicated correspondence to the Luoyang water banquet.** The editorial menu records this seat as “西辣鱼”, while the same seat-level source writes “西辣鲤鱼” and another published version writes “西辣鱼片” (silver carp cut into blocks, battered, fried pale gold, then stewed); all three names circulate, which shows the versions differ between kitchens. This version follows the whole-fish reading under the name “西辣鱼”. **The main ingredient is made substitutable**: the source specifies Yellow River carp, while this version reads “a whole carp (ask the fishmonger to scale, gut and score it)”, and sea bass or snakehead of similar size will do; it simply says “fish” rather than presenting one regional species as the only correct choice. **The hazardous step is downgraded and explained**: deep-frying a whole fish splashes oil, so use a deep heavy-bottomed pot, keep the oil below roughly 200°C, slide the fish in against the side of the pot and briefly hold a lid over it as a splash guard, and never fry two at once; have the fishmonger score the ridged pattern, or cut shallower 2 cm slants with kitchen scissors, which is safer at home. **Quantities, the salting time and the braising times are editorial for 4 servings and have not been kitchen-tested**. No therapeutic or “brain-boosting” claims from any source are adopted, and no unverifiable demand for wild Yellow River carp is carried over. Text-reviewed, not kitchen-tested. Contains fish (the main ingredient is a whole carp); cooking wine and light soy contain wheat and soy, and the recipe may also carry gluten. **A whole fish carries bone and pin bones — make clear on the table that the dish has bones, and remove the main spine before serving it to children or elderly guests; how the host divides the fish follows each household's custom, and this page does not replace that step.** Wood ear must be rehydrated from dried stock and used the same day rather than left soaking. Confirm the fish is thoroughly cooked before serving (see the chopstick test in step 4). This version contains meat and is not vegetarian. 百度知道：洛阳水席怎么做（转录洛阳好吃网席面做法） — Seat-level method, verbatim: “Xila carp: one Yellow River carp, preliminarily prepared, both sides scored in a ridged pattern, cured 10 minutes, then fried golden on both sides and finished by braising with dry vermicelli, dried red chillies, wood ear, bamboo shoot slices, ginger slices and scallion lengths, seasoned with salt, cooking wine, MSG and soy sauce.” The main ingredient, curing time, frying heat, ingredient list and seasoning in this version all come from that passage. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/424155851027279692.html 百度知道：洛阳水席24道菜的菜名是什么呀？ — The menu places “西辣鱼” among the four centrepieces (“four representative dishes”: peony yancai, 西辣鱼, liaozi quanji, honey eight-treasure rice). Other answers on the same page write it as “西辣鱼片”, and another as “sweet-and-sour carp”, showing that names and methods vary between versions. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/558521656.html 美篇：宫廷名宴——洛阳水席 — Another published version gives the second centrepiece as “西辣鱼片”: silver carp cut into ridged blocks, battered, fried until pale gold, then stewed, described as “fresh-tasting fish, mildly hot broth”. Alongside the whole-fish braise in the first source, this shows the seat exists in both a whole-fish and a cut-into-pieces form. https://www.meipian.cn/24v8ndrt FDA: Food Allergies — The page lists the nine major food allergens identified by law (milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame). Fish is the main ingredient here, so the allergen field declares fish on that basis. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.