Crispy whole Fish with Salted Black Beans
My recipe for Crispy whole Fish features a few unique ingredients including Salted Black Beans and Chinese Five Spice. Some people can’t get past the fact that the fish is staring back at them while they eat. Whole, appropriately sized fish can also be difficult to find. In either case, fish fillets work equally well in this recipe, and it is a whole lot easier to eat.
PRODUCT TIP:
Salted black beans (also known as “fermented” or “preserved” black beans) are processed by a traditional natural method with black soy beans grown in Yang Jiang area of China. They are used as a condiment or in sauces for many Chinese dishes and are strong and salty, adding a very distinctive flavor. Since they are so salty, they need to be soaked prior to use in recipes.
Chinese Five Spice powder is a mixture of distinctive Chinese flavors: cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed (or anise seed), Sichuan peppercorns and cloves. It is a unique blend with a very distinctive flavor. When I prepared dinner Julia Child in August 2001, I prepared a semi-boneless quail for her as an appetizer that was marinated with Chinese five spice powder. The recipe, along with a tribute to Julia, is available in my second cookbook.
A fish scaler makes quick and easy work of scaling the whole fish or fish fillets that have the skin on. It can be a messy job (scales fly everywhere), so I recommend that you scale the fish in the sink or cover the counter with plastic wrap to make cleanup easier.
TOOL TIP:
Fish Scalers are a very useful and inexpensive tool to add to your kitchen, especially if you eat a lot of fresh fish. They make easy work of removing the scales from whole or filleted fish.
This wok is made from hammered carbon steel and is an invaluable tool if you enjoy making Asian foods at home. The thin carbon steel allows the pan to heat up quickly and to a very hot temperature, which is what you want for properly stir-fried dishes. It also means that this pan will need some maintenance, which I describe below. This wok is made for gas ranges with a rounded bottom, if you have electric or induction burner, search for a flat bottom wok that is intended for that specific use.
Crispy whole Fish with Salted Black Beans
Cuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutesThis recipe calls for whole fish, if you can’t get whole fish, fillet of fish (snapper, haddock, sea bass) will work. Substitute the whole fish with 2# of fish fillets.
Ingredients
4 whole firm white-fleshed fish (snapper, sea bass), about 1 pound each
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups canola oil for frying
1 medium carrot, julienne
1/4 cup finely julienne fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, julienne
1/2 cup julienne bamboo shoots
5 green onions, green part only, cut into 1 inch pieces on the bias
3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
- Marinade
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons dry sherry
1 Tablespoon Chinese five-spice
1 Tablespoon minced green onions
- Sauce
1/4 cup salted black beans
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons hot chili paste (sambal oelek)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
- Clean the fish by washing it thoroughly inside and out. Scale the fish with either a fish scaler or the back of a large knife, removing all of the scales. Leave the head on the fish but remove all of the fins with either a sharp pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
- Make the marinade (directions below). Slash the flesh of the fish a few times on the diagonal to allow the marinade to penetrate into the fish. Spread the marinade onto the fish, both sides and marinate for 1 hour. Turn the fish over and marinate on the other side for 1 hour.
- Make the sauce (directions below).
- Just before service, drain the excess marinade from the fish and dust each side (of each fish) with cornstarch. Heat 2 cups of canola oil in a wok set over medium-high heat until it is hot. A drop of water should dance when it hits the surface of the hot oil. Fry the whole fish one at a time for about 4 minutes per side. Flip and fry other side. Drain fish on paper towels. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven while you finish frying the remaining fish. Fillets will cook in about 4 minutes, depending upon their thickness.
- When the fish is done, pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of the oil in the wok. Clean out any debris in the pan and add the carrots. Cook for 15 seconds, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 15 more seconds. Add the bell pepper, bamboo, green onions and tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Add sauce and heat through. Place the crisp fish on the serving plates and cover with the vegetable and sauce mixture. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
- Marinade
- Mix together the ginger, soy, sherry, five spice and minced green onions.
- Sauce
- Soak the salted black beans in 1 cup of cold water for 15 minutes. Pour into a strainer and rinse under running water for 10 seconds. Drain off all water.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of the rice wine vinegar.
- Combine the chicken stock, chili paste, ginger, remaining rice wine vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce and white wine in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and mix in the cornstarch mixture (slurry), whisking constantly until thickened. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans and reserve in a warm place.