Pickled Fish

Pickled Fish

　　Pickled Fish

　　Pickled fish is made by cleaning freshly caught small fish, gutting and washing them, then coating them in rice flour (with a bit of salt mixed in). The fish are then placed in a fermentation jar and pickled for 3–5 days until they develop a sour flavor. After that, they are taken out and deep-fried in tea seed oil or other vegetable oils. The result is golden in color and deliciously sour and fragrant. As long as it is stored well-sealed and the water is changed frequently, the flavor improves with age. The preparation method involves raising 5 kilograms of small fish (known as "jiao jiao yu") in clean water for two days, adding a little raw vegetable oil to help cleanse their digestive systems. Then the fish are gutted, cleaned, and dried. They are mixed with fine salt, spread out on a bamboo tray or sieve to dry, or alternatively smoked with cypress branches, rice husks, or sawdust like cured meat—using low heat and thick smoke to sterilize, enhance aroma, and make them dry and preservable. They are then marinated in sweet rice wine for one day. Five hundred grams of indica rice and 150 grams of glutinous rice are stir-fried until yellowed, ground into coarse powder known as "za flour," which is mixed with fine salt and fermented chili peppers before being combined with the fish. The mixture is then packed into a jar, with straw or bamboo leaves stuffed into the jar opening, and the jar is inverted over a water-filled basin to create an airtight seal. The water is changed once a week, and the preserved fish is ready after 40–60 days of fermentation. Because the fish are pickled for a long time in the jar and salt-cured to the point of being “cooked,” they can be eaten directly from the jar. However, since few people prefer eating them raw, they are typically steamed, fried, or pan-fried. They can also be steamed first and then stir-fried, fried, or pan-fried.