Pan Fried Belt Fish (香煎带鱼)
Quick to prepare and delightful to eat, pan-fried belt fish is a well cherished dish in Chinese households.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb belt fish (aka ribbonfish, gutted)
- 2 stalk scallions (julienned)
- 1 thumb-sized ginger (julienned)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
Instructions
- 1
Prepare
- 2
Gently rub the surface of the fish with the rough side of a clean sponge or the blade of a dull knife to remove the silver layer. Rinse the fish under running water then pat it dry with kitchen paper.
- 3
Cut the fish into manageable sections. Then score both sides of each piece with crosswise lines to enhance flavor penetration.
- 4
Marinate
- 5
In a bowl or tray, mix the fish with scallions, ginger, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and white pepper. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
- 6
Discard the aromatics and any liquid appeared during marination. Evenly coat the fish with cornstarch.
- 7
Pan-Fry
- 8
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place in the fish pieces. Leave to fry undisturbed over medium heat.
- 9
Once the bottom side becomes golden, flip each piece over to brown the other side.
- 10
Serve warm with steamed rice, accompanied by other savory dishes. Or, enjoy it at room temperature as a snack.