SICHUAN BOILED FISH

Sichuan Boiled Fish image

This recipe moves fast-stay on top of it by prepping and lining up your ingredients before you start cooking.

Provided by Lisa Cheng Smith

Categories Bon Appétit Dinner Seafood Fish Cod Snapper Chile Pepper Celery Ginger Garlic Green Onion/Scallion Lunar New Year Boil Wok Dairy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Healthy

Yield 8 regular or 16 small servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

1 large egg white
¼ cup rice wine
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground white pepper (optional)
2 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns (from 3 tsp. whole), divided
1 lb. skinless, boneless white fish fillets (such as cod, flounder, or red snapper)
6 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided
3 celery stalks, sliced into (3"-long) matchsticks
½ cup bean sprouts
⅓ cup dried Sichuan chiles (about 32) or other red Chinese chiles, divided
7 garlic cloves, 6 smashed, coarsely chopped, 1 finely chopped
1 (3") piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced (about 5 slices)
2 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns, divided
3 Tbsp. doubanjiang (Sichuan-style fermented chili bean paste)
2½ cups fish stock, low-sodium chicken broth, or water
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 sprigs cilantro, sliced into (2") pieces (stems and leaves)
2 tsp. gochugaru (fine Korean red pepper powder)
1 tsp. sesame seeds

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.