Shanghai Smoked Fish (Xun Yu / 熏鱼)

Ingredients

• For the fish and marinade
• 1 kg grass carp, cut into 2–3 cm thick cross-sections, skin and bone intact
• 30 ml light soy sauce
• 30 ml Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 20 g fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 litre neutral oil, for deep-frying
• For the glaze broth
• 60 ml dark soy sauce
• 60 ml Shaoxing rice wine
• 40 g rock sugar, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 star anise
• 250 ml water
• To finish
• 1 tbsp sesame oil, drizzled at the end
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional, scattered over the finished pieces

Method

1. 1
   Pat the grass carp cross-sections dry. Combine the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and ginger in a bowl; add the fish and turn to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes — no longer. Lift the pieces out and pat them very dry with kitchen paper. The surface must be free of excess liquid before it enters the oil.
2. 2
   Warm the glaze broth: combine the dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, five-spice, star anise, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the rock sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting so the broth stays warm but is not boiling. It must be waiting, warm, at the moment the fish leaves the fryer — this is where the dish lives or dies: cold glaze will pool on the surface rather than penetrate; a boiling broth will tighten the flesh and repel absorption.
3. 3
   Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 180 °C. Fry the fish sections in batches — do not crowd the pot. Fry until deeply golden on all sides and just cooked through, turning as needed. The pieces are ready when the skin is visibly dark and lacquer-like and the flesh at the thickest point has turned opaque.
4. 4
   Transfer the hot fish immediately from the oil to the warm glaze broth. The fish should be submerged, or very nearly so. Allow to rest in the broth for 10 to 20 minutes. During this time the pieces will absorb the glaze; the broth will darken and thicken slightly around them. The pieces are ready when their surface has taken on a deep mahogany colour.
5. 5
   Lift the pieces from the broth and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with sesame oil and scatter sesame seeds over if using. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving — the flavour develops fully as the glaze sets and the pieces cool.