Spicy Cumin Whole Fish

Name: Spicy Cumin Whole Fish (孜然烤全鱼)
Yield: Serves 1 or 2
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 whole fresh perch or similar fish, approximately 1½ pounds (680 g) total, scaled and gutted; ½ teaspoon white pepper powder; 1 green onion, trimmed and cut into slivers; 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable oil for frying; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1½-inch (4 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers; 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder; Homemade Green Onion Oil for brushing (if grilling); 1 tablespoon coarsely ground cumin; 2 tablespoons Red Chili Powder; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed; 6 tablespoons (90 ml) XFF Chili Oil without seeds; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine

孜然烤全鱼

Preparation info

Serves
1 or 2

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Xi'an Famous Foods

By Jason Wang

Published 2020

About

Any flaky white fish will do here, but we tend to go for perch or croaker, choosing a small, whole fish that will cook easily. Deep-fried, the marinated fish will be flaky, fragrant, and practically perfect. But if you deep-fry, then grill the fish, you add on an extra smoky kick that makes this irresistible.

Ingredients

For the Fish

1 whole fresh perch or similar fish, approximately 1½ pounds (680 g) total, scaled and gutted</

Asia
China
Fish course
Pescatarian
Spicy

Method

To make the fish

Clean the inside and outside of the gutted fish by running it under cold water and patting it dry with paper towels.

In a large container, combine the remaining ingredients to make a marinade. Add the fish and use your hands to evenly rub the marinade inside the fish as well as on the surface of the skin. Cover the container with pl