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

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</

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