Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce

Method7 steps

1. 1

   Prep the Ingredients

   原材料预处理

   Wash all the vegetables; rinse the dried red chilies and star anise. Cut the scallion (white part) into 4 cm pieces, cut the scallion greens into pieces and split each into quarters. Slice the ginger into 3 mm thick slices. Crush the garlic cloves. Finely chop 2 cilantro stems and keep 2 whole. Slice the beauty pepper (mild chili) into rings. Cut the dried red chilies into segments.

   清洗所有蔬菜；干辣椒和八角冲洗；大葱葱白切4cm段，葱叶切段后劈四瓣；姜切3mm厚片；大蒜拍碎；2棵香菜切碎，2棵留整；美人椒切圈；干辣椒切段。

   ⏱10 min

   • 💡 Use different cuts for the scallion white part and the scallion greens.葱段要分清葱白和葱叶的不同切法
   • 💡 Keep the ginger slices an even thickness.姜片厚度保持一致
   
2. 2

   Prep and Clean the Fish Head

   鱼头处理与清洗

   Scale the fish head, remove the gills, clean out the innards, and chop off the fins. Cut the jaw away from the body, cut the body into chunks, and chop the head into four to six pieces. Finally, rinse thoroughly to remove all blood.

   鱼头去鳞、去鳃、清理内脏，剁去鱼鳍。将下巴处与鱼身剁开，鱼身切块，鱼头剁成四到六瓣，最后洗净血水。

   ⏱15 min

   • 💡 Be careful when chopping through bone.剁骨时注意安全
   • 💡 Rinse away all blood to reduce the fishy smell.血水必须洗净以减少腥味
   
3. 3

   Marinate the Fish Head

   腌制鱼头

   Place the fish pieces in a basin. Add 5g salt, 10g light soy sauce, 10g cooking wine (Shaoxing), the chopped scallion greens, and 1/3 of the ginger slices. Toss to combine and let sit.

   鱼块入盆，加5g盐、10g生抽、10g料酒、碎葱叶和1/3姜片，拌匀静置。

   ⏱90 min

   • 💡 Marinate for 1–2 hours to ensure the flavors soak in.腌制时间建议1-2小时以确保入味
   
4. 4

   Sauté the Aromatics

   炒制辅料

   Heat 30ml cooking oil in the wok, then reduce to low heat. Sauté the ginger slices until golden, then add the scallion pieces and sauté until slightly translucent. Finally, add the crushed garlic, star anise, and dried red chilies and stir-fry for 5 seconds.

   锅入30ml油热后转小火，先炒姜片至金黄，再入葱段炒至微白，最后入蒜碎、八角、干辣椒炒5秒。

   ⏱3 min

   • 💡 Stir-fry over low heat to prevent the aromatics from burning.小火翻炒可以防止辅料炒糊
   
5. 5

   Stir-Fry the Fish Head and Add Seasonings

   翻炒鱼头并加调味

   Add the marinated fish head and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add 500ml water along with the remaining salt, chicken bouillon powder, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine (Shaoxing), black pepper, and aged vinegar. Add the 2 whole cilantro stems.

   倒入腌好的鱼头翻炒2-3分钟。加入500ml清水及剩余盐、鸡精、生抽、老抽、料酒、黑胡椒粉、陈醋，放入2棵整香菜。

   ⏱4 min

   • 💡 Stir-fry the fish head evenly.翻炒鱼头要均匀
   • 💡 Adding the aged vinegar at this stage helps remove the fishy smell.陈醋在此时加入可去腥
   
6. 6

   Simmer and Reduce the Sauce

   焖煮与收汁

   Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the broth is reduced by half. Uncover and reduce over high heat until about 1/3 of the broth remains, then turn off the heat.

   大火烧开转中火焖至汤汁减半。开盖大火收汁至剩余1/3汤汁，关火。

   ⏱20 min

   • 💡 Don't open the lid too often while simmering.焖煮过程不要频繁开盖
   • 💡 Watch closely while reducing to prevent sticking.收汁时注意观察防止粘锅
   
7. 7

   Plate and Garnish

   盛盘点缀

   Line the bottom of a basin with the cilantro from the pot, place the fish head on top, and drizzle with the broth. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and beauty pepper (mild chili) rings.

   将锅底香菜垫入盆底，盛入鱼头并淋上汤汁，撒上香菜碎和美人椒圈。

   ⏱2 min

   • 💡 Drizzling the broth evenly makes the dish look more appetizing.汤汁均匀淋洒能让色泽更诱人