Sichuan Boiled Fish (Shui Zhu Yu, 水煮鱼)

Name: Sichuan Boiled Fish (Shui Zhu Yu, 水煮鱼)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 serving
Ingredients: 1 pound fish fillets; 3/4 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground white pepper; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine; 1 egg white; 1½ tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 3 cups chicken stock; 2 cups water; 5 slices ginger; 3 cloves garlic; 2 scallions; 3/4 pound soybean sprouts; 15 grams dried red chili peppers; 10 grams green Sichuan peppercorns

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4.5

57 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings
3
Calories
316 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Chinese

Sichuan Boiled Fish (Shui Zhu Yu, 水煮鱼)

Quincy Lynch

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Sichuan Boiled Fish, or shui zhu yu, is a very popular dish in China's Sichuan specialty restaurants. This Sichuan boiled fish is heavy on the oil, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried red chili peppers, all used to flavor the delicate fresh fish filets at the center of this dish.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pound fish fillets (such as tilapia, catfish, flounder, carp, or snakehead)
3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more salt to taste)
½ teaspoon ground white pepper (divided)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (divided)
1 egg white
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus an additional ½ to ¾ cups)
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
5 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
2 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
3/4 pound soybean sprouts
15 grams dried red chili peppers (1/2 cup, de-seeded and chopped)
10 grams green Sichuan peppercorns (ma jiao 麻椒, 3 tablespoons)

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Instructions

Cut the fish into ¼-inch thick slices at a 45-degree angle. The goal is to get pieces of fish with a lot of surface area, as they’ll shrink once cooked.
Next, marinate the fish. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine. Mix (best with your hand) everything well. Next, add the egg white and mix, followed by 1½ tablespoons cornstarch. Mix until the marinade starts to feel “slimy,” for lack of a better term. Finally, drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the top--there’s no need to mix it in, just drizzle it over the surface. Put the fish in the refrigerator, and marinate for about 20 minutes.
The active cooking time takes less than 10 minutes, so make sure the rest of the ingredients are prepped while the fish is marinating, and that you’re ready to eat right afterwards, because this dish is best served immediately.
In a wok set over high heat, add the chicken stock, water, ginger, garlic, scallions, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper, and 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine. Bring it to a boil. Now is a good time to add salt to taste. Next, add the bean sprouts, and bring to a boil once more. Cook for one minute. Now turn down the heat. Using a fine-meshed strainer, spider, or large slotted spoon, scoop all of the solids out of the soup and transfer to a heat proof serving bowl. It’s very important that your serving vessel be heat-proof, as you’ll be pouring very hot oil into it later.
Now, in a small pot, slowly heat up ½ - ¾ cup oil. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you should use at least a ½ cup. To test whether the oil is heated to the correct temperature, dip a wooden/bamboo chopstick into the oil and look for small bubbles forming around it, but no smoke. If the oil is smoking, it’s too hot!
When the oil is heating, bring the soup back to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Place your fish, one piece at a time, into the soup. Once all the fish is in the soup, turn up the heat and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, immediately pour everything (fish and soup) on top of the vegetables in the serving bowl.
Quickly sprinkle the dried chili peppers and the green Sichuan peppercorns evenly over the fish, and pour the heated oil evenly over everything. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle the chili and the peppercorns, but not hot enough to burn the spices. Serve immediately!

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 316kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 88mg (29%) Sodium 756mg (32%) Potassium 1071mg (31%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 1505IU (30%) Vitamin C 20mg (22%) Calcium 62mg (6%) Iron 2.4mg (13%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 316 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	316kcal	16%
Carbohydrates	20g	7%
Protein	35g	70%
Fat	11g	17%
Saturated Fat	5g	25%
Cholesterol	88mg	29%
Sodium	756mg	32%
Potassium	1071mg	23%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	7g	14%
Vitamin A	1505IU	30%
Vitamin C	20mg	22%
Calcium	62mg	6%
Iron	2.4mg	13%