Yellow Croaker with Sweet Wine Rice Sauce

This fried fish is a favorite in Shanghai. The yellow croaker, which is called huang hua yu, or “yellow flower fish, ” is a saltwater fish found in large schools around ocean reefs. The Shanghainese like the delicate, inherently sweet taste of this small fish. It takes its English name from the croaking sound it makes; Chinese fishermen locate croakers by running long bamboo poles into the waters to cause them to croak.

The secret to deep-frying this fish is to keep it moist