Fish with Chiles and Sichuan Peppercorns

After having this dish in China, and seeking it out at restaurants back in the U.S., I finally decided to try making it myself. One of the first things I did when we received Fuchsia Dunlop's very authentic looking Land of Plenty was to look up dishes we had enjoyed in China. The "boiled fish in chile oil" was at the top of the list. That was several years ago. The knowledge sat there in the back of my head, with a nice comfortable feeling that should the urge ever move me I would be able to try doing it.

The urge finally moved me.

I came home with some fish and shrimp intending to make... oh, I can't even remember what I intended to make. Oh, that's right, I remember: Goan fish stew, a very nice coconut curry. Then Joe reminded me that the Sichuan book has a lot of fish recipes, and we'd wanted to try some. So I looked it up and got excited. Though it seemed like it would take a long time, it's really not that bad. Each individual step was quite simple, and there was minimal chopping and dicing.

This dish looks terrifyingly hot with all those chiles, but the heat is actually very adjustable. Neither Joe nor I thought the recipe as cooked was especially hot (this might be due to the kind of chiles I used) and I'll probably up the chili and sichuan peppercorn level next time. (Important note: you don't actually eat the chile oil, and a lot of the spicy heat doesn't actually linger on the fish.) The fish, with its light cornstarch coating, has a lovely silky feel. I added in some shrimp, which we both thought were splendid cooked this way.

We served it with white rice, using a slotted spoon to scoop up "base flavorings" to put over the rice.

Fish with Chiles and Sichuan Pepper (la zi yu)
From Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop

As I said above, this dish looks like a lot of effort, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. While my fish was marinating, I pre-measured and pre-cut everything else and lined up the ingredients to be ready to go. I didn't have Sichuanese chiles, so I used Indian sanaam chiles from Penzey's Spices. She writes that in Sichuan, they'll use 2 to 3 Tbs of Sichuan peppercorns and 3 to 4 oz of dried chiles for a pound of fish. If you love the heat, go nuts. If not, use your judgement. We didn't think the amounts below made it all that hot.

NOTE on ingredients: anything below that you don't have should be easily obtainable at the larger Chinese grocery stores (try Hua Xing on Washtenaw, for example).

Fish
1 lb filleted carp, sea bass, or other white-fleshed fish (I used 3/4 lb fish and 1/4 pound medium shrimp, which is not traditional but was tasty.)

Marinade
1 inch piece of ginger, unpeeled
1 scallion, white and green parts
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine (or medium-dry sherry)
4 Tbs cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbs cold water

Base Flavorings
6 dried Sichuanese chiles
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
5 scallions, white and green parts
3 Tbs peanut or corn oil
1 Tbs Sichuanese chile bean paste
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Spicy Oil
3/4 cup peanut or corn oil
1.5 Tbs Sichuanese chile bean paste
1 - 2 oz dried red chiles, preferably Sichuanese
2 tbs whole Sichuan peppercorns

1) For marinade: crush ginger and scallion with flat side of cleaver or heavy object. Cut scallion into 3 or 4 sections. Lay fish fillets on cutting board and, holding knife at a shallow angle to the board, cut them into slices 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place slices in a bowl and add the salt, wine, ginger, and scallion. Leave to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.

2) For base flavoring: Snip base flavoring chiles in half and shake out the seeds. (The recipe just says "snip all chiles in half and shake out seeds." Does she mean just for the base flavoring or also the chiles used in the spicy oil? Well, let me tell you, 1 to 2 oz is a lot of dried chiles. I haven't the patience. I snipped the six used in the base flavorings and started my rice and did some other things to let the fish marinate longer.)

(start a pot of water boiling)

3) Base flavorings: thinly slice ginger and garlic. Discard coarse outer leaves (if applicable) of scallions, crush lightly, and cut into 2 to 3 inch sections. (I minced them because we don't care for long slimy lengths of scallions.) Heat the 3 Tbs of oil in a wok over high flame. When just beginning to smoke, turn heat down a little. Add chile bean paste and stir-fry until oil is red and fragrant. Thow in ginger, garlic, scallions, dried chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry until they smell delicious and the scallions are tender. The oil should be hot enough for the spices to sizzle. Do not burn the spices (though I did, a bit, and it was still good). When read, transfer the base flavoring to a deep serving bowl. Click on photo to view larger version.

4) For fish: If you haven't already, start a pot of water boiling. Discard the ginger and scallion from the fish marinade. Mix cornstarch and water and pour over the fish. Stir well to coat. When water comes to a boil, drop fish pieces into the water. (I did this one-by-one.) Do not stir the fish until the water returns to a boil, otherwise, the starch coating will fall away. When the fish slices are just cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and scatter them over the base flavorings. Click on photo to view larger version.

5) For spicy oil: Wipe out wok. Heat 3/4 cup oil over high flame until just beginning to smoke. Add chile bean paste and stir-fry until oil is red and fragrant. Add remaining dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until they are crisp and fragrant. DO NOT BURN THE SPICES. You may need to turn the heat down or lift the wok off the heat. Use enough heat to keep it sizzling, but not too much to burn. The longer you can stir fry the spicy oil, the more flavor will be in the oil. When ready, pour oil over the fish and serve while still sizzling.

I burned my spices a bit. It was still delicious, but it taught me just how sensitive the spice mixture is to the temperature. It's probably better to go a bit low on the heat than too high.

To eat, lift pices of fish out of the bowl and let oil drain off. We served it with rice. A Sichuan vegetable dish would round the meal out.

Comments

I just visited china and would love to find an authentic cook book for many of the dishes we tried. Is Land of Plenty such a book?

[Kitchen Chick]

Yes. It's Sichuan cuisine. (I don't what parts of China you visited and what regional cuisines you tried.) The author is from Britain and studied Chinese culinary schools in China and traveled all over China, so she brings together knowledge of both the cuisine and the challenges that Western cooks face trying to recreate authentic dishes at home. The other good thing about newer Chinese cookbooks like this one is that they take into account the greater availability of Chinese ingredients, so fewer substitutions are used in the recipes.

[NJSue]

Delurking to tell you that I love your site. I was "visiting" Chocolate and Zucchini and saw a comment you wrote about the feast of the epiphany. I believe the book you are looking for is The Happy Orpheline by Natalie Savage Carlson. Enjoy!

[Kitchen Chick]

NJSue: yes, that's it! Also, I'm glad you like my site. Thanks!

[ksolo]

i've been looking all over for a recipe to make this dish at home. yours is great! thanks!

[Selina N]

Thanks so much for posting this recipe and your cooking experience. My husband and I went to China last summer and were blown away by this dish! After we found your post, we cooked this for our friends and they too were in awe! :)

[Careprost]

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