How to make braised yellow croaker

Braised Yellow Croaker

1. Remove the scales of the large yellow croaker, clean out the internal organs and gills, rinse with clean water, and make 3-5 oblique cuts on both sides of the fish body to facilitate the absorption of flavor during cooking.

2 Use paper towels to wipe the fish dry inside and out to prevent oil from frying.

3 Heat the frying pan over high heat, add oil and when it is 40% hot (you can faintly feel the heat when you put your palm on the oil), slowly slide the yellow croaker into the pan by the fish tail.

4 Adjust the heat to medium and fry the yellow croaker. After one side is fried, use a spatula to carefully turn the fish over and fry the other side.

5 When both sides of the fish turn golden brown, pour out the excess oil, leaving 2 teaspoons of oil (10 ml) in the pan, add garlic cloves, ginger slices, scallion segments and star anise, and fry for a while.

6 Add salt, soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar to the pot, pour in warm water (1 bowl, 250ml), enough to cover the fish, bring to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and simmer over low heat.

7 After about 10 minutes, open the lid of the pot, add rice vinegar, turn to high heat and cook until the soup is thick, then serve.

The story behind the food

As the saying goes, "boil tofu a thousand times and fish ten thousand times", it means that braised fish is more durable, the soup is wider and the cooking time is longer, the fish will become more and more flavorful.

Tips

1. You can use large or small yellow croaker to make this dish. Other freshwater fish with fewer bones and thicker meat, such as mandarin fish, grass carp, carp, etc., can also be made using the same steps.

2. It is a wise choice to use a wok or spoon coated with Teflon non-stick coating to fry fish. Frying fish in a non-stick pan requires less oil, the fish is not greasy, the fish skin is not easy to fall off, and it will not burn. You can make braised yellow croaker with good color, aroma, taste and shape.

3. Vinegar should be added last. Firstly, it will not destroy the nutritional components of the fish. Secondly, the sour taste does not become more flavorful as it is stewed longer. Instead, the fish should be served while it is at its freshest to fully bring out its flavor.