Shui Zhu Yu (Sichuan Poached Fish in Fiery Chili Oil Broth)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Despite a name that means water-boiled fish, the bowl arrives under a layer of red chili oil.
Read more
Thin slices of white fish, coated in starch, poach gently in a doubanjiang broth so they stay tender inside all that heat. Hot chili oil poured over Sichuan peppercorns at the end sizzles and releases the numbing aroma, and bean sprouts underneath catch the broth. It is intense enough that rice on the side is not optional.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Slice 500 g white fish into thin, broad pieces.
Toss gently with a little salt and 1 tbsp starch, then rest for 10 minutes so the coating helps keep the fish tender and intact.
- 2
Set a pot over medium heat and add 1 tbsp chili oil.
Stir in 20 g chopped garlic and 1.5 tbsp doubanjiang for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom so the paste blooms without burning.
- 3
Pour in 700 ml chicken stock and scrape up the seasoned paste from the bottom.
Once the broth boils, add 180 g bean sprouts, cook just 1 minute, then spread them in a wide serving bowl.
- 4
Lower the heat until the broth only trembles gently.
Slide in the fish one piece at a time and poach for 2-3 minutes, stopping when the edges turn white and the slices feel just set.
- 5
Transfer the fish and broth carefully over the bean sprouts.
Do not stir with a spatula; tilt the pot and slide everything out gently so the delicate fish slices stay whole.
- 6
Scatter 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn over the top.
Heat the remaining 3 tbsp chili oil until very hot, pour it over the peppercorns, and serve immediately with rice once the aroma rises.
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Hokkien Lor Mee (Braised Gravy Noodles)
bean sprouts, chicken stock
Sesame Spicy Tantanmen (Chinese Creamy Sesame Chili Oil Noodle Soup)
chili oil, doubanjiang
Suan Cai Yu (Sichuan Pickled Mustard Greens Fish Stew)
white fish fillet, chili oil