Szechuan Fish Food

SHUI ZHU YU (SICHUAN BOILED FISH)

Steps:

• Stir the egg white, cornstarch, white pepper, and egg white together in a bowl; add the basa and mix to coat. Set aside and allow to marinate at least 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the peppercorns and dried chile peppers in the hot oil until they turn a very dark red (they will look almost black, so be careful not to burn the chiles). Remove the dried chili peppers and peppercorns from the skillet. Mince the chile peppers. Mash the peppercorns finely; set aside.
• Return the skillet to the medium heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and the bean sauce; cook and stir the bean sauce with the oil until the mixture turns red. Stir the water into the sauce, increase heat to high and cook until the sauce simmers. Remove the ginger slices from the marinating fish and add to the boiling sauce; cook the fish at a boil until the flesh turns white.
• Divide the celery and cabbage between two soup bowls. Pour the fish and sauce over the celery and cabbage. Top with the garlic, peppercorns, and chile peppers.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke; carefully pour the hot oil over the garlic, peppercorns, and chile peppers. Garnish each portion with cilantro to serve.

SZECHUAN FISH

Steps:

• In a wok brown the fish on all sides with the green onion& garlic.
• Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the fish.
• Cover& cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

SICHUAN BOILED FISH

Steps:

• Whisk egg white, wine, cornstarch, grated ginger, salt, white pepper (if using), and 1 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns in a medium bowl. Thinly slice fish fillets on a diagonal into ¼" slices and place in bowl with marinade. Toss to coat and let sit 30 minutes while you make the broth.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large wok or deep-sided skillet over medium-high. Add celery and bean sprouts and stir-fry, stirring constantly, until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large deep bowl.
• Remove seeds from 6 dried chiles and cut crosswise into ¼" pieces. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into same wok and heat over medium-high. Add coarsely chopped garlic, sliced ginger, sliced dried chiles, 6 whole dried chiles, 1 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bean paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in stock and add remaining 1 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover wok (use a baking sheet if you don't have a lid), and simmer 15 minutes to infuse broth with flavor.
• Using your hands, lift fish out of marinade, shaking to remove excess, and transfer to hot broth; discard marinade. Cook over medium-low until just opaque, about 2 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer fish to bowl with celery and bean sprouts, arranging on top; carefully pour broth over. Top with scallions and cilantro.
• Wipe out wok, pour in remaining 4 Tbsp. oil, and heat over high until just smoking. Add finely chopped garlic, gochugaru, sesame seeds, remaining 20 chiles, and remaining 1 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Immediately pour over top of fish.