I love fish, and it’s one of the foods I eat most frequently. Braised Fish or Red Braised Fish (Hong Shao Yu in Chinese) is the most popular cooking method for fish in China. I often cook fish using this method because it doesn’t require fresh fish; even frozen fish tastes delicious when cooked this way.
The key to this dish is frying the fish. For beginners, it’s common for the fish to break easily during the frying process. However, this isn’t a problem because, for homemade dishes, taste matters more than appearance. As long as you follow this recipe and cook the fish properly, the taste will not disappoint you.
Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- One whole fish
- Green and red chili peppers, finely chopped
- Ginger, cut into short ginger shreds
- Garlic, minced
- Green onion, chopped into green and white parts separately
Fresh fish is preferable, but frozen fish works fine too. Basically, any type of fish can be used for this dish. I used a bream, which has plenty of meat, a small head, tender flesh, and few small bones. Clean the fish thoroughly, making sure to remove the black membrane from the belly, as it can be quite fishy. After cleaning, make a few cuts on both sides of the fish (shown in the image below), especially on the thicker back, to help it absorb the flavors.
It’s best to use slightly spicy chili peppers, as they can help remove any fishy smell. I used two colors of chili peppers mainly for visual appeal, but you can use just one.
Seasonings
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine or beer
- Salt
How to Cook Chinese Braised Fish
A non-stick pan is ideal for frying fish. If you’re using an iron pan or stainless steel pan, make sure both the pan and oil are hot to avoid sticking.
Step 1: Wipe the non-stick pan dry, pour in the oil, and heat over high heat. Swirl the pan to coat the sides with oil and prevent sticking.
Step 2: Once the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan. Do not move the fish immediately. You can swirl the pan to ensure even heating of all parts of the fish. After about a minute, gently shake the pan. If the fish moves freely, it is ready to be flipped. Flip the fish and cook the other side without moving it.
If you feel it’s not fried enough, you can repeat the previous steps. Note that the fish will not be fully cooked through at this stage. It will be cooked through during the braising step. Therefore, I usually just fry it briefly to crisp the skin slightly and avoid overcooking the flesh.
Step 3: Once the fish is almost done frying, gently push it to one side of the pan and add the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the green onion to stir-fry until fragrant. Then mix them with the fish and add a splash of Shaoxing wine or beer.
Step 4: After the cooking wine has evaporated slightly, add enough water to cover half of the fish.
Step 5: Add salt, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce to taste. During the braising process, remember to gently flip the fish a few times to ensure even flavoring.
Step 6: When the fish is almost cooked through, you will see the cuts you made earlier widen and the flesh will become uniform with the surface. At this point, add the chopped chili peppers.
Once they are cooked, sprinkle with the green parts of the green onion and turn off the heat.
Now you can enjoy the braised fish.
