Chefs Hu Guoguang and Pan Yewen
North Garden Restaurant
This dish, nicknamed “squirrel fish”, is served at banquets and special occasions. North Garden can prepare the fish with a day’s advance notice.
Ingredients
2 lbs whole pickerel
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp potato starch
2 eggs
2 tsp flour
3 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped onion
2 tsp chopped red and green
2 tsp salt
pepper
1 tsp cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp white vinegar
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp ketchup
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tsp pine nuts
Method
- Clean off fish scales and guts. Fillet the fish with skin on, leaving the collar bone attached.
- Place the fillets skin side down. Cross cut the fillets in a diamond pattern, without cutting through the skin.
- Rub the fillets with 1 1/2 tsp salt and a dash of pepper. Lightly dust with potato starch. Beat together eggs and flour. Make sure slices do not stick to each other, then evenly coat with the mixture.
- Heat canola oil in a deep pot or deep fryer to 200°C. Holding one of the fillets at each end, slowly lower into the hot oil. Gently shake if meat sticks together. Fry until crispy. Repeat with second fillet and arrange on a serving plate.
- Heat 3 tsp oil in a pan. Add minced garlic, onion, and green and red pepper. Add cooking wine, stirring until fragrant. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, and add vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Add potato starch and cook until sauce has thickened. Add sesame oil, then pour the sauce over the fried fish, sprinkling pine nuts on top to garnish.
Yield 10 servings
