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Red - Cooked Fish
(Hung - Shao - Yu)
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| What You Need: |
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THE STUFING
½ pound boneless lean pork, finely ground
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger root
THE FISH
A 2-pound sea bass or carp, cleaned, but with head and tail left on (or substitute red snapper, pike, perch or any other firm white fish)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons peanut oil, or flavorless vegetable oil
¼ cup Chinese rice wine, or pale dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock, fresh or canned
5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 scallions, including the green tops, cut into 2-inch lengths
4 slices peeled fresh ginger root, about 1 inch in diameter and 1/8 inch thick
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed with the side of the blade of a cleaver or heavy knife
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| How To Cook: |
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PREPARE AHEAD:
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1. For the stuffing, combine in a bowl the pork, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, salt and ginger, and, with spoon or your hands, mix them together thoroughly.
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2. Wash the bass well under cold running water and pat it dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the fish flat on a chopping board and, with a cleaver or sharp, heavy knife, score the skin by making one row of diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart and ¼ to ½ inch deep across its length from head to tail. Then turn the fish over and score the other side. Sprinkle the fish inside and out with the salt.
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3. Spread the flour over a sheet of wax paper and roll the fish about in it on both sides. Then lift the fish by the tail and shake off any excess flour.
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4. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the fish and press the flaps firmly together to enclose the stuffing. (It is not necessary to sew or skewer the opening.)
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5. Have the stuffed fish, oil, wine, chicken stock, soy sauce, scallions, ginger and garlic within easy reach.
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TO COOK:
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1. Set a 12-inch wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in the 3 tablespoons of oil, swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 30 seconds, turning the heat down to moderate if the oil begins to smoke.
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2. Add the garlic, place the fish in the pan and let it brown for 5 minutes, regulating the heat under the pan to prevent the fish from burning.
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3. Then turn the fish over gently with a spatula or 2 large spoons and brown the other side. Now pour in the wine, chicken stock, soy sauce and sugar; scatter the scallions and ginger on top of the fish and cover the pan.
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4. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook the fish undisturbed for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep the stock simmering. Baste the fish with the braising liquid, re-cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes longer.
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5. To serve, gently transfer the fish from the pan to a large heated platter. With a cleaver or sharp knife, cut the top layer of the fish into 1½-inch crosswise slices, but don't cut through the backbone. Remove and discard the ginger and garlic, then pour the braising sauce over the fish.
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6. Serve at once. When the top slices have been served, carefully remove the backbone and the little center bones attached to it. Then slice and serve the bottom layer of fish.
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To Serve: 4 as a main course or 8 to 10 as part of a Chinese Meal
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