Scallion-Spicy Fish Fillet

Scallion-Spicy Fish Fillet

　　Scallion-Spicy Fish Fillet

　　　Ingredients:

　　2000g live grass carp, 50g pickled chili peppers, 500g scallions, 25g ginger, 100g cilantro, 15g salt, 15g MSG, 50g cooking wine, a small amount of Sichuan pepper, 10g vinegar, 25g caramel color, 50g sesame oil, 250g cooked lard, 50g wet starch, 500g chicken broth.

　　Preparation: Scale, gut, and clean the grass carp thoroughly. Cut off the fish head (make the cut just behind the gills) and the fish tail (cut 3.3cm in front of the tail). Split the fish head down the middle and remove any internal impurities. Chop the fish tail fin into a fork shape. Remove the large bones from the central section of the fish, trim the belly meat from both fillets, and cut them into rectangular strips measuring 6.6cm long and 3.3cm wide—these are the fish fillets. Pick the tender leaves from the cilantro, rinse them clean with water, then soak them in cold water. Use 150g of scallion whites and 10g of pickled chili peppers to make scallion flower garnishes. The remaining 350g of scallions should be cut into 10cm-long sections; remove the stems and seeds from the pickled chili peppers; slice the ginger. Marinate the fish fillets with 7.5g of salt, 25g of cooking wine, ground pepper, and 35g of wet starch until well seasoned. Then heat a pan and add 150g of cooked lard. Pan-fry the fish fillets in batches until they turn light yellow.

　　The fish head and tail should also be pan-fried in hot oil. Heat a wok over a flame, add 100g of cooked lard, and when hot, add the scallion sections, ginger slices, and pickled chili peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the chicken broth. Arrange the fish fillets neatly in the pot, place the fish head and tail on top. Once the broth comes to a boil, add 7.5g of salt, MSG, 25g of cooking wine, ground pepper, caramel color, and vinegar to season properly. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. After cooking, arrange the fish head and tail at both ends of a serving plate, place the fish fillets in the center, remove the scallions, ginger, and pickled chili peppers from the sauce, bring the sauce to a boil again, and thicken it with 15g of wet starch. Drizzle with sesame oil and pour over the fish fillets. Garnish with cilantro and scallion flower pieces on both sides of the fish fillets to finish.

　　Scallion-spicy is one of the many flavors in Sichuan cuisine, where the spicy kick of pickled chili peppers blends seamlessly with the strong aroma of leeks.

　　The fish turns out tender and delicious.