At a friend's request, I'm sharing a recipe for boiled sea bass this weekend! Unfortunately, my child can't eat spicy food, so I had to reduce the spiciness level, which is a shame 😫! Those who follow me will know that the method is actually quite similar to boiled sliced pork or boiled beef, only the meat and marinade are different. My family doesn't like buying ready-made fish seasoning; we prefer to make our own to preserve the natural flavor of fresh ingredients. Those other seasonings really have too many additives. If you're looking for convenience, please skip this part.
Materials
Steps for making boiled sea bass (a common home-style dish)
Prepare scallions, ginger, and garlic. Chop them into small pieces, tear the scallion leaves into pieces, and cut the scallion whites into small sections.
Clean the sea bass and slice it, then marinate it twice. First marinating: Cooking wine, a little salt, scallion greens, ginger and garlic slices, and a pinch of white vinegar are enough. After 20 minutes, rinse it off. Keep the ginger and garlic slices for later use! Second marinating: Very little cooking wine, a pinch of salt, and cornstarch. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes before putting it in the pan.
Wash the vegetables, trim the stems off the enoki mushrooms, cut the celery into sections, slice the cucumber, and chop the cilantro into small pieces.
Place ginger slices, garlic slices, and dried Sichuan peppercorns in a cold pan, turn on the heat to remove moisture and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, pour in cooking oil, add dried chili peppers, star anise, and bay leaves, and stir-fry together again until fragrant.
Add fermented broad bean paste and sugar and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add hot water or boiling water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes to make the sauce. Add fish bones and simmer over medium heat for no more than 3 minutes. Remove the fish bones and place them at the bottom of a soup bowl.
Cook the vegetables. First, add enoki mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, then add celery and cucumber and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove them and place them at the bottom of the pot again.
Finally, cook the fish fillets. 1-2 minutes is enough! Remove them and place them on top of the bowl.
Add chopped scallions and chicken bouillon to the pot, taste for saltiness, and decide what other seasonings to add. Pour the broth into a soup bowl. Note: Sprinkle a layer of dried chili powder and dried Sichuan peppercorn powder on top (optional if you don't like spicy food, or you can add minced garlic directly). We also like to add some toasted white sesame seeds!
Look, the fish and vegetables are cooked, and the chili powder and sesame seeds are spread out. The spiciness is up to you. Now we just need to wait for the hot oil to "pour" it on and it will be done.
Heat some oil in a pan, then evenly pour it over the fish fillets. Add more oil if you prefer a stronger flavor. The final step is to sprinkle with cilantro, and you're done!
Look closely, the food is fresh and flavorful, with a variety of dishes. It smells amazing, perfect with rice or as a side dish with drinks!
