Sichuan Spicy Dou Ban Fish (四川豆瓣鱼)
soupeduprecipes.com recipe - Asian
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish Mine was about 600 grams (1.3 lb) when it was whole, after gut it, it is 500 g.
- 3-4 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 4 scallions
- 2-3 inches of ginger
- 1/4 cup oil to fry the fish
- 1 tsp salt to prevent sticking
- 3 tbsp oil or you can use the leftover oil from frying the fish
- 3.5 tbsp the Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang
- 2-3 pc pickled chilies can be replaced with 1 tbsp of sriracha or sambal chili sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 whole bulb of garlic finely diced
- 2.5 tbsp diced ginger
- 4 scallions
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water
Instructions
- 1
Make a few open cuts on each side of the fillet.
- 2
Rub the fish with some crushed scallions, ginger, and a drizzle of Chinese cooking wine. Set the fish aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- 3
While waiting, we can make the sauce. Add 3.5 tbsp of the Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, 2-3 pieces of pickled chilies, and 2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine to a blender cup.
- 4
Blend everything into a puree. An optional step, let it go through a sieve to get rid of those stubborn seeds.
- 5
Dice 10 cloves, 1 inch ginger, and 4 scallions. Set everything aside.
- 6
Remove all the aromatics from the fish and pad the fish dry.
- 7
heat the wok until smoking hot. Add 3 tbsp of oil and pan-fry the fish for 3-5 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown.
- 8
Take the fish out and clean up the wok.
- 9
Add 3 tbsp of oil. Pour in the sauce. Stir it on low heat for a few minutes. Then add in the garlic and ginger. Keep cooking for a couple of minutes or until they are fragrant.
- 10
Pour in 1.5 cups of water. Bring this to a simmer. Season it with 2 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of soy sauce, and 1.5 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar.
- 11
Turn the heat to medium-low. Place the fish back in the wok. We will simmer each side for a couple of minutes. During this time, it is important to spoon the sauce over the fish constantly. Then flip it over and do the same thing.
- 12
Turn off the heat. Take the fish out. Place it on a plate.
- 13
Quickly mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1.5 tbsp of water. Pour it into the sauce. Turn the heat back on low. Stir to mix. Once the sauce is thickened up, toss in the diced scallion.
- 14
Pour this sauce all over the fish, and you are done.