SHUI ZHU YU
Sichuan Boiled Fish
新年快乐. Just in time for the Chinese New Year!
Shui Zhu Yu- literally Sichuan Boiled Fish- is far from as basic as it sounds. This popular fish dish, from Sichuan China is packed full of aromatics such as garlic and ginger, Shaoxing wine and white pepper. Topped with a hit of mouth numbing (literally) Sichuan peppercorns and Chinese dried chilis and then doused in hot oil to bring it all together- this Lunar New Year favorite is coming in hot!
Featured Item
MISE EN PLACE
1 lb Fish Fillet (a white fish w/skin on is best) Check out Foodscape’s weekly offerings here
2T Shaoxing Wine
1 Egg White
1T cornstarch
Pinch of Ground White Pepper (easy now, it’s strong!)
Salt
1 Qt Stock (any will do: Halibut, Chicken, or plain old water)
Hunk of Ginger (1”), Peel & Slice
6 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
2 T Doubanjiang (Fermented Black Beans, optional)
Pick Your vegetables: Traditional picks are Soybean Sprouts (BIG handful), Sliced Scallions (1 bunch), Shaved Celery (LITTLE bit)
1/2 C of Chinese Dried Red Chili’s (Don’t have them? Korean Chili’s are a great substitute), deseeded and roughly chopped.
3T Sichuan Peppercorns (Red or Green or Both)
1/2 C Oil (pick one with a high smoking point: Safflower, Peanut are our picks- Canola will be fine too. Just something neutral)
guidelines
Be free, be open, you can’t go wrong. Pay attention to your instincts! Relax into it.
Most important thing to note on this dish is to make sure your final serving vessel(s) is heat proof to the point where you trust they’re able to withstand the heat from the HOT oil that finishes this dish. Ceramic, yes. Glass, not so much.
First things first- slice and marinate the fish. Always imagine the end result…how are you going to enjoy eating the fish in this bright, flavorful RED broth? That’s right, with a spoon. No knife, no fork. Ever tried to get a 2” piece of fish to balance on your spoon as you raise it to your mouth only to find it fall off about halfway up and splash into the broth with such gusto that you’re now wearing the soup? Again, it’s red and hot, see my point? So let’s slice our fillet’s into nice 1/4-1/2” slices on a 45 degree angle. This will give the fish maximum exposure to the hot broth, and practically no cooking time necessary once it takes a dip.
Marinate: Sprinkle the sliced fish with an appropriate amount of salt to your taste, a pinch of ground white pepper and Shaoxing Wine. Mix. Add 1 egg white to the fish mixture, coat well. Add Cornstarch. Mix real well. Put in your fridge for at least 20 minutes-no longer than an hour.
Now to the broth. In a wok (or high sided saucepan of some sort) add your stock, ginger, garlic, scallions, a bit of ground white pepper, salt and a splash more of Shaoxing wine. (For a more complex broth add the Doubanjiang-though not necessary) Boil. Taste. How is it? Now’s the time for more salt or oomph if need be. Maybe even a tsp. of sugar. Simmer for a few minutes to bring all flavors together.
In the meantime let’s heat up the oil in a small separate pan on medium high heat. You want it HOT, you do NOT want it smoking hot. About 350 feels right. Don’t have a thermometer? Just drizzle a bit with a spoon into some water. Splattering like crazy? That’s just right then!
Back to the broth-plunge your sprouts and any other vegetables you’d like (just be sure your cuts are thin!). Boil. Remove all cooked vegetables to serving bowls with a strainer. Now it’s time for the fish. Make sure your broth is boiling. Add fish slices one by one. Heat is high everybody, right? Okay. The second it returns to a boil it’s done. That’ll be just a couple of minutes.
Gently place cooked fish and broth on top of vegetables in your bowl. Sprinkle generously with the Dried Chili’s and Sichuan Peppercorns. Now for the fireworks- pour your HOT oil over the whole thing. Don’t be shy, use all the oil! It will really make the Peppercorns zing and all the flavors come together.
Dive in.