Sichuan Lake Smelt

Name: Sichuan Lake Smelt
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ lb thawed lake smelt (gutted); Pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry; Vegetable oil or lard for frying; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon fish stock (or water); 1 teaspoon soy sauce; ½ teaspoon white sugar; ½ teaspoon white pepper; 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces; 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; Small handful of dried chilies; 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn

Servings: 2-6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

½ lb thawed lake smelt (gutted)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry
Vegetable oil or lard for frying
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fish stock (or water)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon white pepper
2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Small handful of dried chilies
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn

Print Recipe

These Sichuan-style lake smelt are an explosion of flavour.

By cooking them twice, the little fish pick up a unique texture and soak up all of the flavours from the aromatics.

This can be done with head-on (apply directly to the head) or head-off fish.

Serve them piping hot!

Directions

Step 1

Toss the smelt in the salt and the Shaoxing wine and let them marinate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill the bottom of a wok with at least 1 inch of oil to fry the fish in. Heat the oil to 350°F.

Step 2

Toss the fish in the corn starch, then fry in the oil. I recommend doing it in two or three batches, so as not to cool down the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel to drain. Dispose of all but 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok.

Step 3

In a small bowl, make a sauce by combining the fish stock, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Set aside.

Step 4

Heat the oil in the wok over high heat and add the scallions, ginger, garlic, and chilies. Stir fry for 1 minute.

Step 5

Add the fried fish, the Sichuan peppercorn powder, and the sauce. Stir fry for 1 more minute, then take it off the heat.

Step 6

To serve, dump the smelt into a bowl or onto a plate. Feel free to drizzle in chili oil or garnish with cilantro or sliced scallions. Enjoy!