Squirrel Mandarin Fish is the most famous dish in Suzhou and is famous far and wide. It is said that when Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he made a big fuss about "Songhe Tower", tasted squirrel and carp, and praised it endlessly. Later, Suzhou chefs changed carp to mandarin fish . The production techniques continued to improve, and the color, aroma, taste, shape, sound and utensils were all beautiful. In the white long fish plate, the mandarin fish has a high head, a slightly open mouth, and a high tail. The marinade is poured on it, like a red dress, seeping into the fish meat and making a squeaking sound like a squirrel chirping. The fish body is decorated with white shrimps. , with clear red and white colors, like a squirrel bowing its head and walking slowly. The plate is surrounded by purple grapes, which is unique and interesting. A unique sweet and sour taste hits the nose with the hot air, making people salivate at the bottom of the tongue. Today I will share with you this most famous Suzhou dish.
[Ingredients]
Live mandarin fish, shrimps, diced cooked spring bamboo shoots, diced shiitake mushrooms, green peas , Shaoxing wine , refined salt, soft white sugar , balsamic vinegar,
tomato sauce, pre-prep sauce, green onion Segments, minced garlic, dry starch, pork soup , wet starch, sesame oil, cooked lard (or refined oil)
[Preparation method]
1. Clean the mandarin fish, cut the head obliquely to the pectoral fins, and place the fish head at the chin Cut it open and flatten it gently with a knife. Then cut off the spine and along the two sides of the spine to the tail (the fish tail is continuous), and remove the chest spines. Carve directly on the fish meat first, with a knife distance of about 1 cm, and then in an arc, with a knife distance of about 1.3 cm, deep into the fish skin, forming a diamond-shaped knife pattern. Put the Shaoxing wine and refined salt into a bowl and mix thoroughly, apply it on the fish, pat the dry starch on it and shake off the remaining powder.
2. Next, we will make sweet and sour sauce . First put the tomato sauce and fenugreek sauce into a bowl, then add pork broth, soft sugar, balsamic vinegar, Shaoxing wine, refined salt, and wet starch in sequence, and finally stir evenly with a spoon for 15 minutes, and the sweet and sour sauce is ready.
3. Put the wok on a high fire and heat it up. Pour in the cooked lard and cook until the oil drops splash everywhere. First, roll the two pieces of fish and raise the fish tail into a squirrel shape. Then lift the fish tail with one hand, hold the other end with chopsticks with the other hand, put it into the oil pan and fry for about 20 seconds to form it, then let go, wait until the fish falls into the oil pan, put down the fish head, and use an iron spoon to scoop out the hot oil Pour over the fish meat, head and tail until light yellow and pick up. When the oil temperature rises again, fry the fish until golden brown, take it out, put it into a long disk, and shape it into a squirrel shape. The fish meat will be slightly loose. Note that during this process, beware of oil droplets splashing onto your body, causing secondary burns.
3. In addition, heat a wok over high heat, scoop in a small amount of cooked lard, add shrimps, stir with a spoon until cooked, pour into a colander to drain. Put the original pot on a high fire, ladle in 50 grams of cooked lard, add the white scallions and simmer until the scallions are yellow and fragrant, take them out, add minced garlic, diced bamboo shoots, diced mushrooms, and green peas and stir-fry them thoroughly, pour in the sauce and stir. Evenly, add about 75 grams of hot oil for frying fish, pour in sesame oil and mix well, pour it on the squirrel fish, sprinkle with cooked shrimps, garnish with purple grapes on the edge of the plate, a richly fragrant, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside squirrel mandarin fish. Came into view.
[Keys to production]
1. When putting the fish in the fish knife, the skin should not be broken and the pattern should be clear; pat the flour evenly before placing it in the oil pan, and shake off the remaining flour.
2. Use high oil temperature to fry the fish in two batches, the first time until cooked and the second time until crispy.
3. The sweet and sour sauce should be cooked thoroughly, add oil and stir well to make a "living juice", so that the marinade can fully penetrate and make a
squeaking sound.
