We live in Shouguang, Shandong, which is only 50 kilometers from the sea, so we naturally have no shortage of seafood. We have very fresh yellow croaker here year-round. We used to mostly cook it in a braised style, but eating the same way all the time gets boring. So, I remembered the most popular Cantonese cooking method: clay pot stew. I immediately found several videos of Cantonese chefs making it and learned how. Although the final product wasn't very pretty because the clay pot was too deep, the whole family loved the taste, and the fish was incredibly tender. This recipe is mainly for me to have a complete plan for future attempts, as it combines several chefs' methods, so I'm recording it here for future reference.
Materials
Homemade Sizzling Yellow Croaker Recipe Steps
It's best not to make too much at once, as it's easy to burn and not cook through. One yellow croaker weighing about 2 pounds is recommended. Because there are many people in my family, we used two, totaling 3 pounds.
Clean the two yellow croakers thoroughly, removing the innards and draining them. My mom thought the fish heads didn't have much meat and would be a waste of oil, so she just chopped them off. 😛
Cut the yellow croaker into pieces about three fingers wide.
Cut the fish pieces in half lengthwise. This makes the fish easier to arrange, and each piece is smaller and cooks faster.
Place the chopped fish meat in a relatively large bowl so that it will be easy to mix when seasoning later.
Add one spoonful of ginger powder and one spoonful of pepper powder.
3 tablespoons cooking wine, 4 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons salt
Add 1 spoonful of hoisin sauce
Half a spoonful of seafood sauce
Half a spoonful of soybean paste
About ten fermented black beans
Mix the sauces and fish together well, add some cornstarch, and mix again.
Add a suitable amount of peanut oil and seal the mixed fish meat. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate.
Prepare two heads of garlic as a side dish, smash them flat and set aside.
One onion, sliced and set aside.
Take a piece of ginger, slice it, and set aside.
To begin cooking, place the clay pot on the fire and add a spoonful of lard, as lard and yellow croaker are a perfect match, and adding lard makes the yellow croaker taste even better.
Once the lard has melted, add garlic, onion, and ginger slices over medium-low heat and sauté until fragrant and slightly golden.
Arrange the marinated fish on top of the stir-fried base sauce.
Pour the remaining marinade over the fish.
Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes. About 6 minutes is enough for one fish. I had a lot of fish, so it took a few minutes.
Simmer for about 4 minutes, then pour high-proof Guangdong rice wine or baijiu (Chinese white liquor) onto the lid of the casserole dish. This will enhance the aroma of the fish. The high-proof liquor may ignite due to the high temperature, but don't worry, it will extinguish itself after the alcohol burns off.
When the time is up, the fish will be cooked. Sprinkle with chili pepper pieces and chopped green onions to enhance the aroma, and your delicious sizzling yellow croaker is ready.
This Cantonese-style clay pot cooking method doesn't add a drop of water; it's essentially dry-cooking the fish, resulting in exceptionally tender and flavorful fish. The marinating process of the clay pot sauce determines the seasoning of the fish, and this sauce has a savory and aromatic flavor.
Tips for making homemade sizzling yellow croaker
1) Cook over medium-low heat throughout. High heat will easily burn the meat before it's cooked through. 2) Don't use too much fish; about 2 pounds is recommended. Otherwise, it won't cook through easily. 3) Don't add too many onions to the base, otherwise it will release too much water and won't taste like a dry-cooked dish.
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