Last Updated on November 2, 2022 by Simon Fan
Dry-braised fish is a traditional dish from Sichuan Province, where you can find some of the best food in China.
Dry-braising, literally translated from the term gan shao (干烧) in Mandarin, refers to a Chinese cooking method that uses only a small amount of braising liquid at the start and reduces most of it toward the end of cooking. The result? A perfectly braised fish imbued and draped with a rich, concentrated sauce.
Among the many variations of dry-braised fish recipes from Sichuan, I particularly like those using dou ban jiang (豆瓣酱, chili paste with fermented fava beans) and pork. A staple ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, dou ban jiang renders layers of flavor to the dish. The pork used here is not to create a “surf and turf” but rather to add richness to the sauce.
This is a great way to cook any type of fish with firm, mild-tasting flesh, such as tilapia used in the recipe below. The tilapia serves as a perfect canvas that readily absorbs the robust flavors from the sauce and is transformed into something sensational!
Sichuan dry-braised fish with ground pork and dou ban jiang (四川干烧鱼)
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 whole tilapia (or another white fish such as striped bass or porgy), about 1⅕ lb (540 g), scaled and gutted
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 scallion, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
4 oz (115 g) ground pork
2 tablespoons (30 g) dou ban jiang (chili paste with fermented fava beans), chopped
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Zhenjiang (aka Chinkiang) vinegar
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 scallion for garnish, thinly sliced
Directions
- Make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on each side of the fish, and pat it completly dry with paper towels. Place a wok or skillet over high heat until hot, then swirl in 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the fish to the wok and sear until lightly golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a plate.
- Discard the oil and wipe the wok clean. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the wok over medium heat until hot. Add the scallion, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the ground pork and stir-fry for 1 minute. Next, add the dou ban jiang and wine, and stir and mix for 30 seconds. Pour in the water and bring the liquid to a boil. Mix in the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Return the fish to the wok and adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, spooning the braising liquid over the fish frequently and carefully turning the fish over halfway through cooking, until the fish is cooked through and the braising liquid has mostly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with the sliced scallion and serve right away.
