Quan Ayi frying the fish until golden on both sides.

Cōng Kǎo Jìyú (葱烤鲫鱼)
Cuisine: Shanghai | Shared by: Quán Huìyīng (全慧英)

This dish was taught to me using carp—a fresh water fish. People who like fresh water fish like it for its 'sweet' flavor. The first time I heard this, I begged to differ as I always found freshwater fish to taste a bit like a pond might. The trick to getting a clean flavor instead of the flavor I liken to a pond, is to rub Shaoxing cooking wine and sea salt inside and out. Alcohol dispels any funky flavors when cooking meat.

What you’ll need: A cast-iron wok and a couple of spatulas to help turn the fish.

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Ingredients

• 20 stalks spring onion, cut into 3-inch pieces
  
• 1 500-gram fish carp, bass, or trout; scaled and cleaned
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil
• 4 thumbnail-sized slices ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup water

Method

1. Heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok. Stir-fry spring onions for two minutes over high heat then transfer to a plate and set aside.
   
2. Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the ginger. Carefully slip the fish into the wok and fry both sides until golden. Add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil then lower flame and simmer for five minutes. Turn the fish over. Return the spring onions to the wok and simmer for one more minute. Carefully transfer to a serving dish and top with the sauce..