P
Chinese
Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish (松鼠鳜鱼 Song Shu Gui Yu) — Deep-Fried Showpiece
Song shu gui yu (松鼠鳜鱼, squirrel mandarin fish) is the most theatrical preparation of Huaiyang cuisine — a whole mandarin fish (gui yu, Chinese perch) deboned, the flesh scored in a complex crosshatch pattern to the skin, then deep-fried in a bath of hot oil. As the fish fries, the individual wedges of flesh fan outward from the cuts, creating a form that resembles a squirrel's puffy tail (or a pine cone — also a common interpretation). At the table, a hot sweet-sour sauce is poured over the fried fish, producing a dramatic sizzle and a visual spectacle. The contrast between the crackling crispy exterior and the soft, sweet-acidic sauce is the defining textural experience of this dish.
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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.
1 (approx. 800 g–1 kg)
mandarin fish (gui yu, Chinese perch)
whole, live or very fresh
Your own market
100 g
For the sweet-sour sauce
2 tbsp
tomato paste
Your own market
3 tbsp
Chinkiang vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
sugar
Your own market
1 tbsp
light soy sauce
150 ml
chicken stock
Your own market
1 tbsp
1.5 litres
neutral oil
for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Lay the fish flat on the board and, using a sharp, flexible knife, fillet the flesh away from the backbone on both sides, working from the head toward the tail, so the head, tail, and skin remain in one intact piece that opens flat like a book. Remove the backbone by cutting it free at the head and tail ends and discard it. Both sides of flesh should lie flat, still joined to a single unbroken skin with head and tail connected.
2
Score the exposed flesh of each fillet in a crosshatch pattern, cuts approximately 1 cm apart, pressing the knife firmly through the flesh down to — but not through — the skin, so the wedges of flesh will fan outward in the oil and lock into the signature squirrel-tail silhouette rather than lying flat and sodden. This is where the dish lives or dies: a cut that breaches the skin will cause the shape to collapse in the oil, while a cut too shallow will prevent the flesh from opening at all. Run a fingertip across the scored surface; the skin beneath should remain taut and unbroken.
3
Dust the scored flesh, the skin, and the head generously with the 100 g cornstarch, pressing it into every cut so each wedge of flesh is thoroughly coated, because an even, deep coating seals each scored face and gives the individual pieces the hard, separate crust that defines the finished texture. Shake off any excess. The surface should appear uniformly dry and chalky white — no moist patches remaining.
4
Heat the oil in a deep wok or fryer to 180 °C and lower the fish in flesh-side down, using your hands or a wire basket to hold the body in a gentle upward curve as it enters the oil, so the shape is fixed by the heat before the flesh has a chance to relax flat. Maintain this position for the first minute, then fry for 5–8 minutes in total, basting the fish with hot oil if it is not fully submerged. The fish is ready when the individual wedges of scored flesh have fanned fully outward, each piece crisp and deeply golden, and the fish is cooked through.
5
While the fish fries, combine the tomato paste, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, and chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then stir in the slaked cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens to a glossy, lightly syrupy consistency that coats a spoon and holds a brief trail. Keep the sauce at a vigorous heat all the way to the moment of service, because a sauce that has sat and cooled will not sizzle when it meets the fish and will soften the crust instead of glazing it.
From the canon — Chinkiang vinegar (镇江醋, Zhenjiang hei cu, Zhenjiang black vinegar) is China's most celebrated vinegar — a dark, complex, aged rice vinegar produced in Zhenji… Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江醋 Zhenjiang Hei Cu) — The Black Vinegar of Jiangsu →
6
Transfer the fried fish to a serving platter and carry both to the table. Pour the boiling-hot sauce directly over the fish in front of the diners so the heat of the sauce against the hot crust produces an audible, sustained sizzle — the sound tells you that both the sauce and the fish are at the right temperature and that the crust is still intact.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — A live mandarin fish (gui yu) purchased from a tank and killed to order; its firm, white, sweet flesh is the reason Huaiyang cooks insist on this species above all others.
02
Estate — A whole, very fresh mandarin fish, eyes clear and bright, gills vivid red, flesh springy to the touch — killed the same day and cooked immediately.
03
Market — The freshest available whole freshwater perch or similar firm-fleshed fish from a reputable fishmonger; the crosshatch scoring and frying still deliver the form, though the sweetness of the flesh is a step down.
04
House — Any firm-fleshed whole fish of suitable size; the showpiece character is preserved by technique even when the ingredient is unremarkable.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. After scoring, the skin beneath each cut remains taut and unbroken when pressed with a fingertip.
◇Sight. The cornstarch coating is uniformly dry and chalky — no moist patches visible on flesh or skin.
◇Sight. In the oil, every scored wedge of flesh has fanned fully outward and turned deeply golden, the squirrel-tail silhouette fully realised.
◇Sound. The hot sauce poured over the fish at the table produces an immediate, sustained sizzle — confirming that both the oil in the crust and the sauce are at sufficient temperature.
◇Where it lives or dies. The crosshatch scoring must pass cleanly through the flesh to the skin without once breaching it — that boundary is the structural foundation of the entire dish.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
2023 seven stars VEGA
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Naramata Bench
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Penticton →Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
10 Year Old Estate Whisky
Shelter Point Distillery · Vancouver Island
Shelter Point Distillery · Campbell River →Whisky
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance