Whole Sea Bass in Black-Bean Sauce

Name: Whole Sea Bass in Black-Bean Sauce (豆豉全魚)
Yield: Serves 4 as a main course. Choose a bright-green stir-fried vegetable.
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt; Cornstarch for dusting; 1 sea bass, about 2½ pounds; ¾ cup water; 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons dry sherry; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 1 large whole scallion, finely chopped; 4 quarter -sized slices peeled ginger, coarsely chopped; 2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and coarsely chopped; 2 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water with 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 4 tablespoons oil

豆豉全魚

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a main course .

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Key to Chinese Cooking

By Irene Kuo

Published 1977

About

This is an earthy dish, full of the rich flavors of fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and scallions. The whole fish is shallow-fried, then simmered with the seasoning sauce. It is dark red and saucy, like Red-cooked Sea Bass with Meat Stuffing, but it has a more pronounced taste.

Ingredients

1 sea bass, about 2½ pounds
½ teaspoon salt
Cornsta

Asia
China
Fish course
Pescatarian
Spicy

Method

Preparations

Have the fish cleaned and scaled, but leave the head and tail on. Rinse and dry it. Score the fish 3 times on a slant on each side, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle and rub the salt over the inside and outside. Dust the fish lightly and evenly with the cornstarch.

Prepare the