Pickled Chili Whole Fish (剁椒全鱼 Duo Jiao Quan Yu)

Step 1

Remove fish scales, if any. Cut off the fins and gills. Remove the thin membrane inside the fish and the narrow blood vessel along the spine. Rinse the fish thoroughly. Pat dry. Use a sharp knife to extend the cut from the belly all the way through the tail then make an incision along the spine to unfold the fish into one flat piece (see pictures). If you don't like the bones, you can also butterfly the fish to remove most of the bones (not done in the pictures). Make 2 to 3 mirroring cuts on each side of the spine. Put the fish on a large plate.

Step 2

Peel the ginger. Cut half the ginger into slices and mince the other half. Add 1 tablespoon of Chinese Shaoxing wine to the fish. Put the ginger slices on top of the fish. Marinate the fish for 10 minutes on the counter.

Step 3

Peel and mince the garlic. Add the minced garlic and ginger to a small mixing bowl. Cut the green part of the green onions into thin pieces and set aside.

Step 4

Add 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese black vinegar to the garlic and ginger, mixing well. Then add 2 tablespoons of chopped pickled chili and mix well. If using two different colored pickled peppers, separate the seasoning first into two equal portions and add 1 tablespoon of each type of chopped pickled chili to each bowl. Remove the ginger slices from the fish and spoon the seasoned pickled chili on top to cover the entire fish.

Step 5

Boil some water in a steamer or a large pot with a steamer rack over medium-high heat. When the water boils, carefully transfer the fish plate onto the steamer rack. Cover the lid and steam for 6 to 8 minutes (steam for 5 minutes if your fish is under 1 lb or 450 g and steam for 10 minutes if your fish is over 1.5 lb or 680 g or particularly thick).

Step 6

Turn off the heat and add the green onions on top of the fish. Heat a cast iron skillet under high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, pour it over the green onions. Enjoy!