China · Sichuan

Sichuan Boiled Fish

Name: Sichuan Boiled Fish
Prep time: 340 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 352 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sichuan
Ingredients: basa fish fillet 500 g; mixed vegetables 300 g; chilli bean paste 40 g; fermented black beans 10 g; rattan pepper oil 10 ml; rapeseed oil 25 ml; ground white pepper 3 g; garlic 2 pieces; salt 5 g; sugar 2 g

A Sichuan classic of tender slices of fish poached in a numbing red broth, served over a bed of vegetables with a pour of chilli oil.

352 minutes · 4 servings · Moderate

The dish is named for the cooking liquid rather than the fish, and the broth is built in layers: broad-bean paste and dried chillies fried in oil, then hot water, then the fish. Sichuan cooks value the uncooked fish so highly that the poaching liquid is poured over the vegetables at the end and every drop is used. At home the whole job is even slicing, which is why the fillet is kept on ice until the last moment.

Ingredients

basa fish fillet500 g
mixed vegetables300 g
chilli bean paste40 g
fermented black beans10 g
rattan pepper oil10 ml
rapeseed oil25 ml
ground white pepper3 g
garlic2 pieces
salt5 g
sugar2 g

Directions

1
Preparation: if the basa fillet comes from the freezer, let it thaw at room temperature for five hours before slicing.
2
Slice the fillet into thin pieces, roughly five centimetres long and three centimetres wide.
3
Marinating: put the sliced fillet into a large stainless steel bowl.
4
Add 30 g of bean paste, 3 g of salt, 10 ml of rattan pepper oil and 3 g of ground white pepper.
5
Mix everything by hand, then finish with 5 ml of rapeseed oil to seal the flavour in.
6
Leave at room temperature for at least thirty minutes so it takes on the seasoning.
7
Preparing the vegetables: mince the garlic. Taking 300 g of cauliflower and 200 g of lettuce as an example, wash both.
8
Blanching and stir-frying: blanch the cauliflower in boiling water and set aside; wash and dry the lettuce, stir-fry it without oil and set aside.
9
Frying the bean paste: heat the wok and add cold oil, 20 ml of rapeseed oil, then 10 g of bean paste, 10 g of fermented black beans if using, and the minced garlic, and fry slowly over medium heat.
10
Poaching the fish: add 150 ml of hot water; as soon as it boils, slide in the marinated fish and gently move the pieces so they separate. Season with 2 g of salt and 2 g of sugar, adjusting the salt to taste. Once the liquid boils again, turn out into a bowl.
11
Plating: put the cooked vegetables into a large bowl first, then the hot fish on top, and pour the remaining hot broth from the wok over everything.

Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.