Don’t be fooled by the name of this dish! The main ingredient of Chrysanthemum Fish is black carp. The fish is cut with fine knife techniques so that when they are fried, the shape resembles golden chrysanthemum flowers.
Chrysanthemum Fish is a traditional dish from the Huaiyang region of China. This refers to the cooking style and techniques found in the lower reaches of the Yangtze river, especially in the cities of Huai’an, Yang-zhou and Zhen-jiang.
The Huaiyang culinary tradition is especially known for its fine knife techniques, delicate tastes, and strict selection of quality ingredients. Huaiyang dishes often look amazing on the banquet table, possessing an almost artistic presentation. The flavors of Huaiyang cooking tend to be mild and sweet side, and are almost never spicy. With these wonderful features, it is not surprising that Huaiyang style dishes have been frequently served for important state banquets in the past.
Chrysanthemum Fish Ingredients:
- Black carp (about 350g)
- Premium grade cooking oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- Chinese aromatic vinegar (xiang cu)
- Chinese cooking wine
- Tomato sauce
- Chopped scallion
- Chopped garlic
- Scallion cut into segments
- Ginger cut into slices
- Starch
- Soup stock
Chrysanthemum Fish Directions:
- Let’s make “chrysanthemum flowers”! Place the fish filet skin side down on the cutting board. Make 4 slanted, adjacent cuts into the fish, about .5 cm apart from each other. Do not cut all the way through, so that each slice is connected by the skin. On the 5th cut, cut all the way through. Now you have your first “chrysanthemum flower”. Repeat this process. For each “flower”, make straight cuts .5 cm apart, perpendicular to the slanted cuts across the surface. Make sure the skin side is still intact, so the flower remains as one piece. These knife techniques prepare the fish so that they will curl into the desired flower shape when fried.
- In a bowl or other container, marinate the fish briefly with Chinese cooking wine, salt, scallion pieces, and ginger slices. Squeeze the fish pieces gently as you marinate.
- Coat the fish with dry starch evenly, make sure the fish is coated thoroughly so they won’t stick to each other.
- In a clean wok, turn on the heat to medium. Add oil and heat it up until 80% cooked. Add the chrysanthemum-shaped fish pieces, fry until golden brown. Scoop them out and set aside for later.
- Now let’s make the sweet and sour sauce. Add oil to the wok and turn the heat to high, add chopped scallion and chopped garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, soup stock, salt, sugar, and Chinese aromatic vinegar, cook until the sauce is boiled. Then add some premium cooking oil, add some starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce. Stir and cook the sauce a little bit longer.
- Place the fried fish into a large strainer, drip the sauce over the fish repeatedly until the fish is fully glazed with the sauce.
- Finally, arrange the fish pieces on a serving plate, and drip a little more sweet and sour sauce on top. And we are ready to serve this mouthwatering dish!
Chrysanthemum Fish Tips:
When marinating the fish, make sure you don’t squeeze the fish too much, as this would ruin the texture.
Take great care when you cut the fish into chrysanthemum shapes, because knife techniques are essential to this dish.
Gently pat the fish dry before you coat with dry starch.
When frying the fish, be careful with the timing, and avoid excessive frying.
Chrysanthemum Fish tastes crispy and tender. The sweet and sour glaze adds just the right amount of zest!
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