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Huizhou Salted Mandarin Fish
Salt-cured mandarin fish, pan-fried until golden, then braised with pork belly, bamboo and chillies in a sauce that clings to the whole fish. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 徽州咸鲜鳜鱼, report 64.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 徽州咸鲜鳜鱼_64.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 5 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 30 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: MediumRegion: Anhui (Huizhou)Flavour: Salty-savoury, fermented, rich
Why this works
This is the calmer cousin of stinky mandarin fish: the same fermented, salty-savoury character, but bought as ready-cured fish rather than fermented at home for two days. The report's discipline is in the frying: the fish goes in skin-side down into oil at 180 °C and must not be moved for four full minutes, until the skin sets golden, because an early flip tears the skin and ruins the whole-fish presentation. Then pork belly renders its fat into the pan, bamboo adds crunch, and the fish braises in just enough hot water to cover half of it — too much and it becomes soup, too little and it dries out. Basting with a spoon two or three times replaces flipping, so the fish stays whole while the sauce reduces to a clinging glaze. Taste before adding the extra salt: cured fish already carries plenty. The whole fish, sauce clinging and skin intact, is the presentation the report asks for.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt-cured mandarin fish | 14 oz | 400 g | One fish, about 400 g; buy cured mandarin fish from a Chinese grocer — fresh fish is not a substitute here (adaptation). |
| Fresh bamboo shoots, sliced | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Sliced 0.3 cm thick, blanched 30 seconds. |
| Pork belly slices | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Sliced 0.2 cm thick. |
| Dried red chillies, cut into segments | 0.2 oz | 5 g | — |
| Ginger slices | 0.4 oz | 10 g | Sliced 0.1 cm thick. |
| Scallion segments | 0.4 oz | 10 g | Cut 3 cm long. |
| Light soy sauce | 1.0 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Dark soy sauce | 1.0 tsp | 5 ml | For colour. |
| Sugar | 0.2 oz | 5 g | — |
| Cooking wine | 1.3 tbsp | 20 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | 0.1 oz | 2 g | Only if needed — taste first, per the report. |
| Rapeseed oil, for frying | 2.0 tbsp | 30 ml | Any neutral oil works. |
| Hot water, for braising | 13 tbsp | 200 ml | About enough to cover half the fish, per the report. |
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok — no wok required (adaptation)
- Paper towels for drying the fish
- Spoon for basting
Steps
- Prepare. Rinse the cured fish to remove surface salt and pat completely dry. Score three cuts into the back, down to the bone. Blanch the bamboo slices for 30 seconds and drain.
- Fry the fish. Heat 30 ml oil to about 180 °C. Lay the fish skin-side down and fry over medium-low heat for 4 minutes without moving it, until set and golden. Flip and fry the other side for 3 minutes, then remove.
- Bloom the pan. Leave a little oil in the pan, fry the pork belly slices until curled and rendered, then add ginger, scallion and dried chillies and fry for 10 seconds. Add the bamboo and toss for 30 seconds.
- Braise. Return the fish, pour cooking wine around the edge, add light soy, dark soy and sugar, then add about 200 ml hot water to cover half the fish. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, basting the fish with sauce 2–3 times without flipping it.
- Reduce and serve. Turn to high heat and reduce until the sauce is thick enough to cling to the fish, about a third of the liquid left. Taste and add salt only if needed. Garnish with scallion or chilli rings and serve the fish whole.
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Technique: Technique: four minutes, no touching
The first side must fry undisturbed for four minutes at 180 °C. Oil that is too cool sticks the skin to the pan; oil that is too hot burns the outside while the inside stays raw. After that, basting replaces flipping entirely — the fish never turns again, which is how it arrives whole.
Variations
- No cured fish: do not substitute fresh fish and add extra salt — the fermented flavour is the dish. Source cured mandarin fish first.
- Less rich: the pork belly fat carries flavour into the sauce; trimming it makes a leaner but noticeably thinner braise.
Frequently asked questions
How salty is it?
Cured fish varies, which is why the report makes the 2 g of salt conditional: taste the sauce before adding any.
Why score the back?
Three cuts down to the bone let heat and sauce reach the thickest flesh evenly.
Can I use a fillet?
The report's presentation is a whole fish; fillets cook faster and break the braise timing, so reduce the braise if you must use them.
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat gently until steaming hot throughout and do not reheat more than once.
Huizhou Salted Mandarin Fish — Recipe Card
Salt-cured mandarin fish, pan-fried until golden, then braised with pork belly, bamboo and chillies in a sauce that clings to the whole fish. Adapted for a home
Prep: 5 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 30 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 400 g salt-cured mandarin fish; 50 g bamboo; 30 g pork belly; 5 g dried chillies; 10 g ginger; 10 g scallion; 15 ml light soy; 5 ml dark soy; 5 g sugar; 20 ml cooking wine; 2 g salt (if needed); 30 ml oil; 200 ml hot water.
Steps: 1) Rinse and dry fish; score back 3 cuts; blanch bamboo 30 seconds. 2) Fry skin-side down at 180 °C for 4 minutes without moving; flip, fry 3 minutes. 3) Render pork belly, bloom aromatics, toss bamboo 30 seconds. 4) Return fish; add seasonings and 200 ml hot water; simmer 10 minutes, basting. 5) Reduce on high heat until sauce clings; salt only if needed.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 徽州咸鲜鳜鱼 (data/reports/64.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's ingredient cost table is arithmetically wrong — it totals zero against line items that add up to a substantial sum, and its cost summary contradicts its own conclusion — so all cost figures are omitted. Original poster image: clouchef.com (徽州咸鲜鳜鱼_64.jpeg).