P
Chinese · Shanghai
Shanghainese Smoked Fish (Xun Yu)
Shanghai xun yu: fried then smoke-glazed fish (typically grass carp or mackerel) — a defining Shanghainese cold dish and banquet starter. The fish is first marinated in five spice, soy, and Shaoxing wine, deep-fried until crispy, then briefly immersed in a hot glaze of dark soy, rock sugar, vinegar, and Chinese five spice, which creates a lacquered, smoke-infused surface.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the fish and marinade
800 g
grass carp or mackerel
cut into thick steaks or bone-in sections
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
Chinese five spice
ground
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the glaze
60 ml
dark soy sauce
60 g
2 tbsp
Chinese black vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
Chinese five spice
ground
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120 ml
water
Your own market
For frying
1 litre
neutral oil
for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
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II
The Method
1
Combine the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and five spice in a bowl. Add the fish pieces and turn to coat. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes. The flesh should take on a noticeably darker, spiced fragrance before proceeding.
2
Heat the oil in a wok or deep saucepan to 180 °C. Remove the fish from the marinade and pat each piece dry. Lower the pieces into the oil in batches and fry until the exterior is deep golden, firm to the touch, and the surface has set into a rigid crust — approximately 5–7 minutes per batch. Lift out and drain on a rack.
3
This is where the dish lives or dies. Combine the dark soy sauce, crushed rock sugar, black vinegar, five spice, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved, then reduce briefly until the glaze thickens enough to coat a spoon in a thin, even film. Keep the glaze hot.
4
Working piece by piece, immerse each fried fish section in the hot glaze for no more than 15–20 seconds — long enough for the lacquered coating to adhere — then transfer to a rack. The surface should appear dark, glossy, and taut, not pooled or wet.
5
Set the glazed fish aside at room temperature. The coating should be tacky to the finger when first applied and dry to a firm, lacquered shell as it cools. If making ahead, cover loosely and rest overnight — the glaze will deepen and penetrate the flesh.
6
Serve at room temperature on a cold dish platter. The coating must yield with slight resistance before giving way to tender flesh beneath — neither refrigerator-hard nor warm-soft.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Wild-caught grass carp from a specialist fishmonger, aged Shaoxing Huadiao wine, and hand-crushed Yunnan rock sugar — the glaze will carry a complexity no commercial shortcut matches.
02
Estate — Good-quality farmed grass carp or a fresh whole mackerel, a named Shaoxing wine (not cooking wine), and whole five spice freshly toasted and ground to order.
03
Market — Mackerel fillets or thick carp steaks from a reliable fishmonger, standard Shaoxing cooking wine, and pre-ground five spice from a high-turnover Asian grocer.
04
House — Any firm, oily white or semi-oily fish available; supermarket Shaoxing wine or dry sherry; pre-ground five spice. The sweet-savoury structure survives, though depth is reduced.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. The marinating fish smells of five spice and wine through the raw flesh — pungent but not sharp — before it goes to the oil.
◇Sound. A steady, assertive sizzle as each fish piece enters the oil at 180 °C; a falling pitch signals moisture loss and approaching doneness.
◇Sight. The fried fish is deep amber-gold with a visibly set, dry crust before entering the glaze.
◇Sight. The glaze coats a spoon in a thin, even, flowing film — neither watery nor syrup-thick — before the fish is immersed.
◇Touch. The glazed fish, once cooled to room temperature, yields a firm, tacky but non-sticky surface under a fingertip — the lacquer is set.
◇Where it lives or dies. The glaze must be reduced to a coating consistency and kept hot for immersion — if it is too thin it will not lacquer the fish, and if the fish is cooked in it rather than merely dipped, the crust softens and the dish is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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