Mandarin fish

Mandarin fish

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 large piece of sea perch or barramundi
• 1 tbsp potato flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 pork cawl (intestine lining, from Chinese butchers)
• oil, for deep-frying fish

Sauce

• 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• salt (optional)

Garnish 

• a little oil, for frying
• shallots, finely sliced in 4 cm lengths
• few Szechuan peppercorns
• 2 cm piece ginger, finely sliced
• 1 small handful of coriander leaves

Instructions

Sprinkle fish with Chinese wine, sugar, salt and potato flour. Cover with beaten egg. Fold and wrap pork cawl around fish, sealing with the egg.

Heat oil in wok till very hot, place fish in oil carefully and monitor browning process using tongs or chopsticks to turn the fish when brown on one side. When well browned and cooked place into strainer and drain well. Place on serving plate. (Could place on draining paper while preparing sauce.)

Brown finely chopped slivers of shallots in oil flavoured with peppercorns. Scatter ginger, coriander and a little fresh shallot.

Serve with rice and steamed or stir fried Chinese vegetables.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.