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Spicy Boiled Fish
Sichuan fish fillet in a tingly, chilli-topped broth: bean sprouts and lettuce stems underneath, paper-thin fish poached in seconds, and a final pour of smoking-hot oil. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 水煮鱼, report 3.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 水煮鱼_3.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 25 minutesServings: 2–3Difficulty: MediumRegion: SichuanFlavour: Mala (numbing-spicy)
Why this works
The report's whole design rests on two timed moments, and everything else is preparation for them. First, the fish is sliced only 0.3 cm thick and velveted in egg white and starch, so a 40-second poach is genuinely enough: the slices turn white and curl, and any longer in the broth makes them coarse and dry. Second, the dish is finished, not cooked, by oil heated to 200 °C poured over dried chillies, Sichuan pepper, garlic and scallions, which blooms their aroma in a sizzle instead of stewing it away. The vegetables underneath are boiled for just one minute, so they stay crisp against the rich broth, and the doubanjiang base gives the soup its savoury depth without needing a long simmer. Keep a timer by the stove for the poach, and the drama takes care of itself. Serve it in the bowl it was built in, with plenty of rice for the broth, and warn everyone at the table that the oil topping is still fiercely hot.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass carp fillet, sliced 0.3 cm thick | 1.1 lb | 500 g | Any firm white fish fillet works at home — cod or haddock are good substitutes (adaptation). Ask the fishmonger to fillet and pin-bone it. |
| Bean sprouts | 7 oz | 200 g | Rinsed and drained. |
| Lettuce stems (celtuce), cut into batons | 5.3 oz | 150 g | Celery stalks are the closest Western substitute (adaptation). |
| Pixian doubanjiang (chilli bean paste) | 2 tbsp | 30 g | The report's base flavour; do not substitute with plain chilli sauce. |
| Dried chillies, cut into segments | 0.7 oz | 20 g | 5 g goes into the base, 15 g on top for the oil pour. |
| Sichuan peppercorns | 0.35 oz | 10 g | 5 g in the base, 5 g on top. |
| Stock (chicken or fish) | 2 cups + 1 tbsp | 500 ml | A good stock cube dissolved in water works at home (adaptation). |
| Neutral cooking oil, total | 10 tbsp | 150 ml | 50 ml for blooming the base plus 100 ml for the final pour. The report's table lists 100 ml, but its steps use 50 ml + 100 ml, so this page totals 150 ml. |
| Egg white (for velveting) | about 1/2 egg white | 10 g | — |
| Corn starch (for velveting) | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 g | Potato starch also works. |
| Cooking wine (for velveting) | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Shaoxing wine. Quantity is an adaptation — the report says to use wine but gives no amount. |
| Salt (for velveting) | 1/2 tsp | 3 g | Quantity is an adaptation — the report says to use salt but gives no amount. |
| Ginger and garlic, minced | 1 tbsp each | 15 g each | For the doubanjiang base. Quantities are an adaptation — the report names them but gives no amount. |
| Scallions, chopped | 2 tbsp | 10 g | Scattered on top before the oil pour. |
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok — no wok required (adaptation)
- Small pot for heating the pouring oil
- Slotted spoon
- Kitchen timer
Steps
- Slice and velvet the fish. Cut the fillet into 0.3 cm slices. Toss with egg white, corn starch, cooking wine and salt until the coating feels tacky and clings, then rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Bloom the base. Heat 50 ml oil in a large pan over medium heat to about 150 °C. Fry the doubanjiang with the ginger and garlic until the red oil separates, then add 5 g dried chillies and 5 g Sichuan pepper and fry until fragrant.
- Boil the vegetables. Pour in the 500 ml stock and bring to a boil. Add the bean sprouts and lettuce stems, cook for 1 minute, then lift out with a slotted spoon and spread over the bottom of a deep serving bowl.
- Poach the fish — 40 seconds. Return the broth to a boil, lower the heat, and slide the fish slices in one at a time. Cook on high heat for 40 seconds, until the slices turn white and curl. Lift out onto the vegetables and pour over the broth.
- Top and pour the oil. Scatter the remaining 15 g dried chillies, 5 g Sichuan pepper, garlic and scallions over the fish. Heat the remaining 100 ml oil in a small pot to 200 °C, until it just smokes, and pour it evenly over the top. Serve immediately.
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Technique: the 40-second poach and the 200 °C pour
Two numbers carry this dish. Fish sliced 0.3 cm thick cooks through in 40 seconds; set a timer, because a minute longer turns it tough. And the pouring oil must reach 200 °C — too cool and the chillies stay raw-tasting, too hot and they scorch bitter. A drop of water flicked into the oil should sizzle violently when it is ready. Cook fish to 63 °C / 145 °F throughout and let it rest briefly (home food-safety guidance, added as an adaptation).
Variations
- Milder.: Halve the dried chillies on top and use fewer peppercorns. The broth stays savoury, but the mala tingle will be much gentler.
- No lettuce stems.: Use celery stalks or extra bean sprouts (adaptation). The crunch matters more than the exact vegetable.
- Make-ahead.: The stock, cut vegetables and velveted fish can all be prepared ahead; the poach and oil pour must happen just before serving (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen fish fillets?
Yes, if they are fully thawed and patted very dry first. Wet fish sheds its velvet coating, and the slices will break in the broth.
Why did my fish go tough?
Almost always the poach ran long, or the slices were cut thicker than 0.3 cm. Slice thin, time 40 seconds, and lift the fish out promptly.
Is the 200 °C oil pour safe at home?
It is safe if the pot is small, the oil is not filled more than a third full, and you pour slowly and evenly from a low height, standing back. Keep children away from the stove for this step.
Storage
Best eaten immediately — the sizzle and the crisp vegetables are the point. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat gently until steaming hot throughout and expect the fish to firm up and the chillies to soften. Do not reheat more than once.
Spicy Boiled Fish — Recipe Card
Sichuan fish fillet in a tingly broth, topped with chillies and finished with smoking-hot oil.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 25 minutesServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 500 g fish fillet; 200 g bean sprouts; 150 g lettuce stems; 30 g doubanjiang; 20 g dried chillies; 10 g Sichuan pepper; 500 ml stock; 150 ml oil; 10 g egg white; 20 g corn starch; cooking wine, salt, ginger, garlic and scallions.
Steps: 1) Velvet sliced fish 10 minutes. 2) Bloom doubanjiang and spices in 50 ml oil. 3) Boil vegetables 1 minute, lift out. 4) Poach fish 40 seconds, lay over vegetables. 5) Top with chillies and pepper, pour over 100 ml oil at 200 °C.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 水煮鱼 (data/reports/3.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (水煮鱼_3.jpeg). Serving size for home use (2–3) and the cooking-wine, salt, ginger and garlic quantities are adaptations and are labelled as such.