Suzhou squirrel-shaped mandarin fish in sweet and sour sauce

Ingredients

• 1200 g whole fresh mandarin fish, scaled and gutted
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 20 g freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 250 g cornstarch
• 1.5 l refined sunflower oil for deep-frying
• 70 g unsalted tomato paste
• 80 g granulated white sugar
• 60 ml distilled 5% white rice vinegar
• 150 ml natural mineral water
• 30 g raw unsalted pine nuts
• 30 g freshly shelled green peas
• 60 g peeled raw shrimp

Method

1. Slice off the head of the whole fresh, scaled, and gutted mandarin fish cleanly just behind the gills, keeping the throat intact so it can stand upright when plated. Carefully slice both fillets along the backbone from the neck down to the tail, taking care to keep both fillets attached to the base of the tail. Sever and remove the central spine and rib cage, then lay the butterflied fillets flat on your board.
2. Place the fillets skin side down on your work surface. Make evenly spaced diagonal incisions through the flesh at an angle without piercing the skin, then score perpendicularly at the same angle to carve out raised, uniform diamonds.
3. Gently massage the scored flesh and the head with the Shaoxing cooking wine, fine sea salt, ground white pepper, and the extracted juice from the grated fresh ginger. Let rest at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
4. Quickly drop the freshly shelled green peas and peeled raw shrimp into a pot of simmering water until the shrimp are opaque and firm, then drain immediately. In a dry skillet over very low heat, toast the raw unsalted pine nuts, stirring frequently, until lightly golden and fragrant, then set aside.
5. Dust the head and fillets generously with cornstarch, gently separating each diamond of flesh with your fingers so the starch coats every crevice without leaving any damp spots. Pick up the fish by the tail and give it a firm shake to discard any excess starch.
6. Pour the refined sunflower frying oil into a wok or deep skillet and heat until a pinch of starch sizzles immediately, about 350 °F (180 °C). Pick up the fish by the tail, fold the fillets skin-to-skin so the flesh flares outward, then gently lower the head and body into the hot oil, holding the tail above the oil with a skimmer to set the arched shape. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until the flesh becomes rigid, then transfer the fish and head to a wire rack.
7. Increase the heat to bring the oil to about 400 °F (200 °C), until a faint wisp of smoke appears. Return the fish and head to the oil for about 1 minute to deeply brown the crust and make it impeccably crisp, then drain immediately and arrange on a large oval serving platter, propping the head up facing the fanned-out body.
8. Pour the frying oil out of the wok, leaving just a thin film on the surface. Over medium heat, cook down the unsalted tomato paste until it colors the residual oil a vibrant red. Pour in the natural mineral water, granulated white sugar, and distilled 5% white rice vinegar, then bring to a rolling boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar.
9. Stir a little cornstarch into a splash of cold natural mineral water to make a slurry, then pour it in a thin stream into the simmering sauce, whisking constantly until glossy, clear, and syrupy. Finish by whisking in a spoonful of very hot frying oil to give the sauce a mirror-like shine.
10. Scatter the poached peeled raw shrimp, freshly shelled green peas, and toasted raw unsalted pine nuts over the fanned-out fish. Ladle the boiling sweet-and-sour sauce over the top immediately to make the crisp crust sizzle loudly, and serve right away.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

651.7 kcal

Protein

13.55 g

Carbohydrate

68.49 g

Fat

33.36 g

Fibre

5.26 g

Calcium

83.31 mg

Iron

2.31 mg

Magnesium

89.92 mg