Shanghai and the surrounding provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are famed
for their appetizers and cold dishes, the things that are offered at lunch, as
bar snacks, and as delicious appetizers. One of the most famous of these is
pomfret cooked in a method very similar to what we have here, and a recipe for
this can also be found in my upcoming cookbook, All Under Heaven.
Mackerel is fantastic
here, too... and maybe even more perfect than pomfret, as it is an oily fish with
a dynamic flavor that can stand up to being marinated, deep-fried, and then
tossed around in a powerfully seasoned sauce. Make sure that the sauce is
over-seasoned so that the flavors still pop when the fish is served cold.
Five-spice “smoked” mackerel
Wǔxiāng xūn qīngyú 五香薰鯖魚
Serves 4 to 6
Fish
and marinade:
1 to 1½ pounds mackerel filets (about 3)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
2 cups peanut or vegetable oil (used okay if
it smells fresh)
Sauce:
¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce1 tablespoon rock sugar (more or less)
1 tablespoon black vinegar
½ cup water
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
6 thin slices ginger
2 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch
lengths
Garnish:
Cilantro or other greens, as needed
1 green onion, trimmed and sliced in to thin
shards
1. Start this at least a day before serving. Rinse the mackerel, pat it
dry, but don’t slash the sides, as the fish will “bloom” in the hot oil as it
cooks, which means that the flesh will separate into flakes that are held
together by the skin and bones. You can keep the backbone in the fish, if there
is one, as this is easy to remove once the fish is cooked. Place the fish in a
work bowl, toss with the marinade, and refrigerate for at least one hour and up
to a full day, as this helps to mellow out the flavors.
 |
| Marinate the fish |
2. Set a wok with the oil over medium heat. Pat the fish dry with paper
towels and fry the fish in batches — only 2 filets fit in my wok at a time, and
you don’t want to crowd them. Fry the fish until nice and brown all over,
shaking the wok to loosen the skin from the metal, and then gently turning the fish
over a couple of times to cook it evenly. Remove the fish to a work bowl as it
is browned and repeat with the rest of the fish until all are ready.
3. While the fish is frying, simmer the sauce ingredients together in a
small pan. When the sauce and solids have reduced to around a cup, taste and
adjust the seasoning (see the headnotes). Pour the sauce over the cooked fish
and turn them over so that the flesh side sits in the sauce. When the bowl has
cooled to room temperature, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a
couple of hours, and turn the fish over in the sauce whenever you think of it
so that every piece gets bathed in those delicious flavors.
4. To serve, pick out as many bones as you can easily see and then slice
each cold filet on a deep diagonal into around 5 to 6 pieces. Arrange the fish
on cilantro or other greens, drizzle the strained sauce over the top, and
garnish with the green onion. Serve cold or at room temperature.
