A Must-have New Year Dish in Shanghai
While this Shanghai Smoked fish dish is a well-loved appetizer all year long, this is one dish that every family in Shanghai considers a must-have for Chinese New Year. When it comes to Chinese New Year meals, Shanghainese people are known for their fussiness and/or elegance. Both words apply depending on who’s talking. There must be eight cold appetizers and ten hot stir-fries, plus soup, and a dessert! It’s usually a family affair, because no one can produce that many dishes in one day! To save time, many families usually prepare large batches of cold appetizer dishes like Hong Shao Kao Fu and Shanghai Smoked Fish ahead of time, and serve them throughout the week’s festivities. While you could enjoy this Shanghai Smoked Fish hot, it is best and traditionally served cold. And while I did mention that it’s quite sweet (as most Shanghainese dishes are), we think we’ve found the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, rich and savory. But feel free to adjust the sweetness to your own taste, and use this recipe as a guide!
Recipe Tips
A few tips to help you ensure success ahead of your big Chinese New Year feast:- Don’t be tempted to add soy sauce to the fish marinade. It will burn during the long frying times.
- Buffalo carp is traditionally used for this dish, but pomfret and king fish work well too. I ended up buying a giant carp at the Chinese grocery store, but when carp get large, they can also be very fishy. You’ll see that we also have photos of the dish made with pomfret, and I think that this is what I will do for Chinese New Year.
- Cut the fish into pieces about ¾-inch thick. If it’s too thin, the fish will fall apart, but if it’s too thick, the sauce will not penetrate to the middle. Also, pro tip, let the fishmonger prepare and cut the fish. Trust me, you would not want to do this at home.
- The best time to put the fried fish in the sauce is when it’s fresh out of the fryer. But be careful–this dish has earned a new name in recent years, Shanghai Bao Yu, 上海爆鱼, which basically means exploding Shanghai fish. So take caution, because when the hot oil on the fish meets the sauce, it can sizzle and splatter slightly. I didn’t find it problematic, but keep small children away when you’re doing this step of the recipe.
- Make this Shanghai Smoked fish dish a day ahead to ensure the fish has enough time to soak up that great sauce.
- Lastly, if you prefer, you can double the amount of sauce in this recipe. It’s better to soak the fish in more sauce, but inevitably there will be too much leftover sauce with no clear use. With a single batch, I’ve been spooning the sauce onto the fish. So it’s up to you!
Shanghai Smoked Fish: Recipe Instructions
Wash and clean the fish pieces, and pat them thoroughly dry with a paper towel.
Gently mix the fish and all of the marinade ingredients, including 4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and 3 teaspoons grated ginger. Spread them out to a single layer on a baking sheet, uncovered.
Let the fish marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Overnight is best. The fish will dry out slightly, which is perfect for frying later.
For the sauce, add the water, ginger, star anise, Chinese cinnamon stick (gui pi), and bay leaves to a small pot, and bring it to a boil.
Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the star anise and cinnamon.
Add the brown rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, scallions, and orange juice.
Simmer slowly over medium low heat until the sauce reduces to about 2 cups (about 20-30 minutes). If necessary, remove the lid towards the end to achieve a slightly thicker sauce, but do keep an eye on it to avoid over-reducing the sauce. Once it’s done, scoop out all the solid spices with a slotted spoon, and let the sauce cool completely. Then it’s ready to use.
Now, to fry the fish. Add 2-3 inches of canola or vegetable oil in a deep, small pot (to avoid using too much oil). Heat the oil to 375 degrees F, and fry the fish in batches of three to four pieces until they turn golden brown. Do not stir the fish around until there is a golden crust, or the delicate fish might fall part in the cooking oil. It’s also best to fry the fish once to get a golden brown color, and then fry the fish again until it’s a dark golden brown. There is no need to worry about over-frying the fish.
Next, put the sizzling fried fish directly into the prepared sauce. Ensure all of the pieces are totally coated. The golden brown crust on the fish will soak up the sauce and flavor the fish. Let the fish soak in the sauce overnight, or at least for a few hours before serving.
To serve this Shanghai smoked fish, plate a few pieces and leave any leftovers in the sauce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
You’ll see in this photo, I’ve used buffalo carp:
And in this photo, I’ve used pomfret.
While buffalo carp is traditional, I think I do prefer the pomfret, but feel free to decide what you’d like to use for your version of this Shanghai Smoked Fish dish. Happy Chinese New Year, and Happy Cooking!
Recipe
Shanghai Smoked Fish, Xun Yu (上海熏鱼)
Shanghai Smoked Fish (aka, Shanghai Xun Yu, 上海熏鱼) may be fried, but it’s definitely not smoked. In Shanghai, it is a cold appetizer loved by locals and visitors alike––fried fish soaked in a sweet soy sauce. While it’s a well-loved appetizer all year long, this is one dish that every family in Shanghai also considers a must-have for Chinese New Year.
Serves: 10
Ingredients
For the fish and marinade:
- 2½ pounds small buffalo carp, pomfret, or king fish (1.1 kg, cut into ¾-inch thick cross-sections)
- 4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (60 ml)
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ginger (grated)
For the “secret” sauce:
- 3 cups water (700 ml)
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 bay leaves
- 90 grams brown rock sugar
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine (120 ml)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 5 tablespoons light soy sauce (75 ml)
- 1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce (22 ml)
- ½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- 4 scallions
- ½ cup orange juice (120 ml)
Instructions
- Wash and clean the fish pieces, and pat them thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Gently mix the fish and all of the marinade ingredients, spreading them out to a single layer on a baking sheet, uncovered. Let the fish marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Overnight is best. The fish will dry out slightly, which is perfect for frying later.
- For the sauce, add the water, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves to a small pot, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the star anise and cinnamon. Add the brown rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, scallions, and orange juice. Simmer slowly over medium low heat until the sauce reduces to about 2 cups (about 20-30 minutes). If necessary, remove the lid towards the end to achieve a slightly thicker sauce, but do keep an eye on it to avoid over-reducing the sauce. Once it’s done, scoop out all the solid spices with a slotted spoon, and let the sauce cool completely. Then it’s ready to use.
- Now, to fry the fish. Add 2-3 inches of canola or vegetable oil in a deep, small pot (to avoid using too much oil). Heat the oil to 375 degrees F, and fry the fish in batches of three to four pieces until they turn golden brown. Do not stir the fish around until there is a golden crust, or the delicate fish might fall part in the cooking oil. It’s also best to fry the fish once to get a golden brown color, and then fry the fish again until it’s a dark golden brown. There is no need to worry about over-frying the fish.
- Next, put the sizzling fried fish directly into the prepared sauce. Ensure all of the pieces are totally coated. The golden brown crust on the fish will soak up the sauce and flavor the fish. Let the fish soak in the sauce overnight, or at least for a few hours before serving. To serve, plate a few pieces and leave any leftovers in the sauce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 176kcal (9%) Carbohydrates: 15g (5%) Protein: 21g (42%) Fat: 2g (3%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Sodium: 824mg (34%) Potassium: 63mg (2%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 10g (11%) Vitamin A: 75IU (2%) Vitamin C: 7.1mg (9%) Calcium: 240mg (24%) Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
