剁椒鱼
A classic Hunan dish, literally translates to chopped peppers with fish. The peppers are pickled, lending an incredible tart, savory, and satisfying flavor. Make it with whole fish, fish head, fish filets, whatever you have your hands on! Super easy and delicious if you can handle the spice.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Ingredients
> some kind of whitefish
> 剁椒
> green onion (~3 stalks)
> ginger (~1 inch)
> salt, white pepper, shaoxing wine
Instructions
1. Prepare the fish. Lightly marinade it with a bit of salt, white pepper, and shaoxing wine, ideally for ~20m or so.
2. Prepare the green onion by thinly slicing it at an angle to yield long-ish thin slices. Julienne the ginger.
3. Set the fish on a large plate. In a steamer over high heat, steam the fish for ~8-10m. Adjust accordingly, depending on the size / thickness of your fish.
4. Drain the fish and set on final serving bowl. Sprinkle the 剁椒 on top.
5. Heat up some oil on the side until almost smoking. Add in the green onion and ginger, fry for a few seconds, and pour the oil over the fish + peppers. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Depending on the type of fish, you'll want to prepare it slightly differently. For whole fish, you'll want to cut some horizontal slices on each side (not through the bone), so that the sauce permeates the fish better. For fish head, you'll essentially want to "butterfly" the head and lay it flat so that it cooks evenly.
> Exactly how much 剁椒 you add is up to you. Depends on your spice tolerance, as well as how intense the flavor is for the particular brand of 剁椒 you have.
> 剁椒 is actually pretty difficult to find at grocery stores -- I wasn't able to find it at Ranch 99, for example, and had to have my mom purchase some for me at Lion Market.