January 8, 2021

Spicy Sichuan Poached Fish with Pickled Murstard Greens

四川酸菜魚

This is a dish that I never get tired of. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Maybe because there is nothing in the world that taste quite like it. Who can serisouly say no to tender bites of fish poached in a spicy sour broth that is perfectly balanced? Spicy Sichuan Poached Fish with Pickled Murstard Greens is very popular dish.

In China, fresh water fish is used because it is economical and abundent. I preffer using fresh fish from the sea which taste so much better, cleaner and healthier too.

Dont be intimidated by this recipe. It is much easier then it looks. You can easily recreate it over and over again using different ingredients.

One pack of pickled mustered greens is usually enough for this dish. Slice it thinly is the flavor comes through in the broth.

Prep time: 45 minutes. Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of a whole fish or fish filet, sliced.

Fish Marinate
1 egg white
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of corn starch

1 knob of ginger
3 cloves of garlic
4 1/2 cups of bone broth or chicken broth
1 teaspoon white sugar
8oz pickled mustard greens with juice. Sliced thinly
1cup of fried tofu puff
1/4 cup of pickled chilli peppers

1 cup of fried soy bean sheets (optional)
2 cups of soybean sprouts (optional)

1/2 cup spring onion, cut into small sticks
salt to taste

Chilli Oil
1/2 to 2/3 cup dried chilli peppers depeding on taste. Cut or leave as whole.
1 teaspoon sichuan numbing peppers
2 star anise
1 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons of white sesame seeds

It is easy to cook this dish when everything is prepped right.

Cooking Method
1. Marinate the fish slices with the fish marinate for an hour or longer.

2. In a large pot, add in a little cooking oil. Fry garlic and garlic and fragrant. Add bone broth, pickled mustard and sugar. Boil on medium heat for 10 minutes.

3. Add fish to the broth and cook until fish is nearly cooked. This will be about 5 minutes depending how thick your fish slices are. Add in tofu puff, and soybean sprouts and cook for 1 minute.

4. While fish is cooking in broth, prepare the chilli oil. Heat cooking oil in a small pot until hot and add in ingredients for chilli oil. Stir and remove pot from heat to prevent the chilli from burning.

I like to use a mixture of different types of dry chilli peppers.

Chilli peppers should stay red. If it turns brown, it probably has been burnt.

5. Place spring onions on top of the fish in the pot and pour the hot chilli oil on top of it. It should sizzle and release a beautiful aroma.

6. Serve

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Cooking Ideas

This dish can be adjusted to taste, depending on the balance you are seeking for. Some people likes it sweeter, some more spicy.
You can add many different ingredients to this dish such as potatoes starch noodles, vegetables and tofu.
Once the fish is eaten, you can use the broth for hot pot by adding water to create a milder broth.

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