Famous dish—squirrel mandarin fish

Overview

Squirrel mandarin fish is a classic dish in Huaiyang cuisine. It has always been listed as a top delicacy at banquets in various places in the south of the Yangtze River. This dish is made from mandarin fish. After killing it alive, the backbone is removed, and the fish meat is cut into a cross knife until it reaches the skin. It is dipped in dry starch and cooked. The mandarin fish is fried for a second time in a golden color, with the head raised and the mouth open, and the tail slightly raised, resembling a squirrel. When the marinade is poured over the body of the mandarin fish while it is still hot, it will make a chirping sound, just like a squirrel chirping, so it is called squirrel mandarin fish. According to legend, squirrel mandarin fish evolved from squirrel carp. When Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River and wandered to Songhe Tower, he insisted on eating fish in order to entertain the emperor. The chef suddenly got the idea and fried and cooked the carp that was offered to Marshal Zhao Gong on the altar. Later, carp was replaced by mandarin fish with sparse bones and tender meat. There is a poem about peach blossoms and flowing water with mandarin fish fat. Therefore, the best time to taste squirrel mandarin fish is March and April every year. The squirrel mandarin fish cooked by Suzhou Songhelou is the most authentic and famous. The characteristics of this dish are that it looks like a squirrel, has a beautiful shape, is sour and sweet, has a bright color, and is crispy on the outside and loose on the inside. Let’s start making

Tags

• hot dishes
• old man
• huaiyang cuisine
• summer recipes
• dinner
• famous dishes
• corn kernels
• dice mushrooms
• ginger
• mandarin fish
• pine nuts
• sweet beans

Ingredients

Steps

1. 1 The raw materials are: a piece of mandarin fish, sweet beans, corn kernels, diced mushrooms, pine nuts, and ginger (it is best to buy fresh mandarin fish. The one I used today is not very fresh. You can also add some river shrimp and diced bamboo shoots to the ingredients). First, remove the head of the mandarin fish, and then cut a knife in the neck so that it can stand on the plate

   

2. 2 First remove the head of the mandarin fish, and then cut the neck so that it can stand up on the plate

   

3. 3 Then use a knife to take out the backbone in the middle of the fish, and do not cut off the tail

   

4. 4 , and then use a knife to remove the spines from the fish's belly (if you don't know how, you can ask the fish seller in the market to do it for you, but you have to make it clear to him that you cannot cut off the fish tail)

   

5. 5 It looks like this when cut

   

6. 6 Then cut the fish with a straight knife vertically, making sure not to break the skin,

   

7. 7 After cutting it vertically, use the knife to slice it horizontally like a fish fillet. You can't cut the skin of the fish. The trick is to lean the knife straight and slice it at an angle (just like the method of cutting the squid roll, the cutting force should be controlled. Another method is to slice it at an angle, that is, first slice it at an angle, and then cut it straight)

   

8. 8 It looks like this when cut

   

9. 9 After cutting, put the fish head and fish meat into a bowl, add cooking wine and salt, marinate, mince an appropriate amount of ginger, put it in a bowl and add water to make ginger water, then take a container, add cornstarch, and powder the fish head and fish meat in turn (the powder must be powdered in every part, and shake off the excess powder after powdering)

   

10. 10 Every part must be photographed

    

11. 11 After the fish head is patted, put a toothpick in its mouth to open its mouth wide, then put the ingredients together in the pot and stir-fry a little

    

12. 12 Add oil to the pot and heat it until it is 60% hot. Add the fish head first and fry it,

    

13. 13 After frying, take out and drain the oil,

    

14. 14 Then turn the tail over so that the fullest part of the fish faces upwards, hold the tail with your hands, and then hold the other end with chopsticks,

    

15. 15 Put it into the oil pan and fry (the oil temperature is 30 degrees for one layer, and the temperature must be controlled well. If it is too low, the cornstarch will melt in the oil, which will spoil the pot of oil. If it is too high, the outside will be burnt and the inside will not be cooked yet)

    

16. 16 Then re-fry for the second time, heat the oil to 80%, add the fish head and fish meat and fry for 5-10 seconds before taking them out (the second frying can make the surface crispy, so that the hot tomato juice can be poured on it, so that there will be a sizzling sound. The oil temperature for each re-frying will be higher than the first time, and the time will be shorter than the first time)

    

17. 17 After frying, place it on a plate and take 2 sweet beans to make eyes,

    

18. 18 Add tomato paste, ginger water, white sugar, a little salt, red vinegar, lemon juice, and an appropriate amount of water to the pot. Mix thoroughly and add an appropriate amount of wet starch, then add an appropriate amount of hot oil, stir quickly to quickly combine the oil and juice, then pour it on the fish, and sprinkle with just The fried diced ingredients are ready to serve (the taste is similar to French fries dipped in ketchup. The specific taste can be adjusted according to your own taste. For example, if you like desserts, add more sugar; if you like sourness, add more vinegar. Whatever suits you is the best taste)