Scallion Oil Mandarin Fish

Ingredients

• 1 jin (500g) Mandarin fish
• 1 root (30cm length) Spring onion
• 2 Millet chilli
• 50 g Ginger
• 25 g Cooking wine
• 15 g Vegetable oil
• 8 g Salt
• 10 g Fish steaming soy sauce
• 5 L Water

Method

Clean the fish methodically. Scale it completely — a fish scaler or the spine of a knife works; underwater scaling reduces mess. Gut it if not already done, then scrape away the black peritoneum lining the belly cavity (this thin membrane concentrates the fishiness). Rinse thoroughly inside and out. Pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper — water on the surface prevents heat transfer and flavour concentration during steaming.

Score the fish on both sides with vertical cuts 3cm apart, each one reaching the spine but not cutting through it. This opens the flesh to direct steam penetration and allows the marinade to reach the dense muscle. Salt (8g) and cooking wine (25g) work via osmotic pressure and alcohol penetration; massage these into the fish for one minute, working them deep into the scores. Let sit 10 minutes only — extended marinating leaches proteins and degrades texture. Discard excess liquid and rinse the fish clean; this stops the surface from steaming in salt-laden water, which muddles flavour.

Bring 5 litres of water to a rolling boil in a wok or pot with a bamboo steamer fitted on top. Place the fish flat on a steaming plate and insert fresh ginger slices into each score and 3 into the belly. Steam for 18–20 minutes over medium heat. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest point (near the dorsal ridge) flakes cleanly and the eye has turned opaque white. Crucially, the steaming liquid that pools on the plate is concentrated umami — it contains collagen breakdown and fish-specific nucleotides. Never discard it.

While the fish steams, prepare your aromatics: ginger into 3mm slices, millet chillies into thin rounds (remove seeds if you want less heat), spring onions into 3cm segments. Heat 15g vegetable oil in a cast-iron pan or wok over medium-low heat for 5 minutes — you're infusing the oil with flavour, not burning it. The surface should shimmer and just barely smell toasted. Pour this hot-oil-finishing over the scattered spring onion and chilli arranged over the fish. The residual heat blooms the alliums and chilli volatiles in seconds, releasing the sharp, peppery aromatics that define this dish. Drizzle the fish steaming soy sauce (10g) around the plate. Serve immediately.