Dry-Braised Ya Fish

Dry-Braised Ya Fish

　　Dry-Braised Ya Fish is made by frying and braising the specialty Ya Fish from Ya'an, Sichuan, along with pork. It is considered a delicacy in imperial banquet cuisine. The finished dish has a golden-red glossy appearance, with firm, tender fish meat that is flavorful, fragrant, and slightly spicy.

　　Ya Fish is one of the famous local specialties of Ya'an and is a unique species from the Central Asian highland mountain region, also known as "Bingxue Fish." It is found in the Qingyi River (Ya'an section) Zhougong River, hence the name Ya Fish. The fish resembles a carp but has fine scales like a trout, with a plump body and tender meat. Clay Pot Ya Fish is a renowned local dish. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, it was presented as a tribute to Empress Dowager Cixi, who praised it as “the meat of dragons and phoenixes.” The dry-braising method is unique to Sichuan chefs, involving cooking the fish in a large amount of fresh meat broth with seasonings until the sauce is fully absorbed and the flavor is rich. The Sichuan culinary world refers to this technique as “self-thickening” or “natural reduction.”

　　Select a Ya Fish, scale it, gut it, and clean it. Score both sides of the fish, brush it all over with Shaoxing wine and fine salt, then fry it in oil until the skin is wrinkled and remove it. Change the oil in the pan to cold, then gradually heat it up while stir-frying pickled chili peppers, finely chopped broad bean paste, ginger, garlic, and peppercorns until fragrant. Add fresh broth and simmer until aromatic, then strain out the solids. Return the fish to the pan along with stir-fried crispy pork cubes, salt, glutinous rice wine, sugar, and vinegar, and simmer together. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low and braise slowly until the sauce thickens and the fish is well flavored. Serve.