Szechuan style fish stew with pickled mustard greens. This is not a famous dish but I feel something like it is my responsibility to introduce this dish to Szechuan style food lovers.
This dish belongs to the classic Shui Zhu dishes. As a sister dish to Szechuan style water boiled spicy fish, it is available in almost every Sichuan style restaurant inside China. I searched a lot concerning about this dish for finding some basic options about this dish but ended my search with nothing. Then I guess one main problem might be the pickled mustard green, which is the most important ingredient in this fish stew.
Firstly in case you are new reader to this blog, I would introduce the background. There are many pickled vegetables in Sichuan cuisine. We have pickled chili peppers named as “ pao jiao” and other pickled vegetables like pickled cucumber, pickled cabbage and this pickled mustard green as “ suan cai”. In order to make this yummy suan cai yu at home, you need to go out searching for some packaged suan cai or find some fresh Chinese mustard green and pickle them at home according to this recipe: pickled mustard green. It is not so time consuming and healthier.
Instructions
How to prepare the fish|Wash the fish carefully and separate the bones and fish fillet. Then slice the fillet into really thin slices and cut the bones into large sections. Separate the fish pieces and the bones.
Add salt in fish meat and bones. Mix for a while until the meat becomes sticky. Then wash the fish slices until they become almost transparent. Transfer out and drain. This step helps to remove any odd taste and give the meat a lovely texture. Repeat the process and clean the fish bones too.
Marinade the fish bones and fish fillet slices with salt, cornstarch and white pepper powder. Set aside.
Fry mustard green and aromatics | Add a small amount of oil in wok and fry mustard green until dried and place dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn. Continue heating until aromatic. Pour extra oil and fry garlic, ginger and green onion white section until aromatic too. Transfer out.
Make the broth| Clean the wok and re-heat some oil, add the fish head and bones and fry until slightly browned. Place the fried mustard green in. Pour in 800ml hot water. Let the broth simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the solid content to serving plate.
Cook the fish| add fish slices in and cook for 30 seconds until they turn white. Transfer out immediately.
The highlights| add chopped garlic, Sichuan peppercorn and chopped green onions. Pour around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Serve hot!
Szechuan Fish-Suan Cai Yu
Ingredients
- 1 fresh fish around 800g to 1000g
- 1 cup pickled mustard green
- 5 picked peppers , optional
- 10 whole Sichuan peppercorn seeds
- 10 dried pepper flakes or more as needed
- 5 green onions
- 1 inch root ginger , sliced
- 4 garlic cloves , sliced and minced
- 800 ml water or as needed
Marinating
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp. white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
- 2 tbsp. starch
Instructions
Prepare the fish
- How to prepare the fish|Wash the fish carefully and separate the bones and fish fillet. Then slice the fillet into really thin slices and cut the bones into large sections. Separate the fish pieces and the bones.
- Add salt in fish meat and bones. Mix for a while until the meat becomes sticky. Then wash the fish slices until they become almost transparent. Transfer out and drain. This step helps to remove any odd taste and give the meat a lovely texture. Repeat the process and clean the fish bones too.
- Marinade the fish bones and fish fillet slices with salt, egg white, cornstarch and white pepper powder. Set aside.
Fry mustard green and aromatics
- Add a small amount of oil in wok and fry mustard green until dried and place dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn. Continue heating until aromatic. Pour extra oil and fry garlic, ginger and green onion white section until aromatic too. Transfer out.
Make the broth
- Clean the wok and re-heat some oil, add the fish head and bones and fry until slightly browned. Place the fried mustard green in. Pour in 800ml hot water. Let the broth simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the solid content to serving plate.
Cook the fish
- Add fish slices in and cook for 30 seconds until they turn white. Transfer out immediately.
The highlight – pouring oil
- Top with chopped garlic, Sichuan peppercorn and chopped green onions. Pour around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
I am glad you feel the responsibility to share lessor known dishes with us Elaine! This is why I love your blog. Some of my favourite Chinese dishes are lessor known ones. I recently discovered cold shredded potato and am now OBSESSED with it. As I also am with zucchini pancakes 🙂
Haha Nagi,
Yeah, there are many yummy Chinese dishes, not popular outside China but really worth high popularity. After almost one year of recipe sharing writing, I figured out the popular dishes outside China are so different from those inside China. So I will try to find a balance point and introduce more interesting Chinese dishes.
This looks very similar to a dish that I used to absolutely love at this Sichuan restaurant near home (in India). Apparently the cooks mother used to make this when he was a child and i was absolutely devastated one day when it closed down. I couldn’t imagine never eating that fish again! This looks very similar to it so I’m going to try to find the ingredients locally. Just a question.. What oil do you use with the chilies at the end?
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Mandira,
Thanks, I hope you will love it. Sometimes I use peanut oil or colleseed oil. There is no direct limitation.
Never tried a Chinese soup like this one before. Think I definitely have to make the recipe, I am just loving all the delicious flavours and ingredients going on in i!
Thalia,
Fish with pickled vegetables really is so perfect!
I love Sichuan food, I can’t wait to try this.
Hi Andi,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment. This is a must dish for all Sichuan food lovers.
Hello! I was recently at a Sichuan restaurant with my Chinese friends and had a dish that sounds very similar, if not the same, to this. While eating the dish my mouth tingled–in a good way! It wasn’t spicy (though the dish did have a little kick!), but something similar to spraying muscle spray on your skin. Is it the Sichuan peppercorns that create this tingle?
Thanks!
Yes Caitlin,
That feeling comes from Sichuan peppercorn, a very unique spicy widely used in Sichuan cuisine. There are many similar Shui Zhu dishes from Sichuan cuisine. The cooking methods are similar but with different ingredients.
I’ve just made this soup and I have to say that it made my day. I’ve been trying many recipes from your web for a while and I love the way everything is explained in detail but in a simple manner. Now I can’t live without China Sichuan Food!
Greetings from a Spanish friend 😉
Hi Guillermo,
Thanks for leaving me such a lovely comment. Your words made my day too! I will bring up more excellent recipes. Happy cooking ahead.
Hey dude, Where did you find the mustard green vegetables, I am in Spain too, I lived in China for 3 years and Suan cai yu is one of my favourite dishes.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I spent about two years in teaching English in China just after the Olympics, and Suan Cai Yu was one of my favorite fish recipes while I was there! It is the perfect blend of spicy and sour, and the fish tastes absolutely wonderful!
One thing I noticed that you did different from the Suan Cai Yu I am familiar with is cutting the fish into pieces. Typically when this dish was served to us in China the fish was whole and we had to be careful not to swallow bones! Did you alter this preparation method to be more like what people expect outside of China or is serving Suan Cai Yu with the whole fish not standard practice in China?
Again, thank you for sharing this. It is making me incredibly nostalgic for the beautiful country I called home for only a small portion of my life.
Hi Ali,
Glad to know that you love China. Yes, a more standard practice in Sichuan province, we slice the fish to shorten the cooking time and keep the fish as tender as possible. But there is another fish dish with Suan Cai from Northern Dongbei province may use whole fish.
Made this excellent dish last week. My wife and I enjoyed it for lunch five days running. Added a couple of teaspoons of chile paste, and served it with rice noodles to make it last longer. Nearly as good as in China, where I’ve taught eight semesters at Fudan Univ. in Shanghai and Sun Yat-sen Univ. in Guangzhou. Fell in love with the food. Really learning a lot from your blog. Love the photos. Tonight I’ll combine Sichuan beef stir-fry with beef chow mein.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Bill,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe and give me such a great feedback. Adding chile paste is a great way to enhance the flavor.
This is super comforting for me in winter. Happy cooking ahead.
I recently had this soup at a local Chinese restaurant, and it was the best soup I have ever eaten. Definitely want to try and make this on my own! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Good Luck Sarah. This seems quite unfamiliar to non-Chinese. Glad to know you find the yummy food.
There is a place in Atlanta, Georgia called Masterpiece it is small little place with only 8 tables and masters of Chinese food in the kitchen. I have tried many places but this place was the most authentical from them all.
If you are not too far go and have a treat! Bring your own bottle of beer or wine. They don’t serve alcohol.
When i was in china last year this was one of my favorite dishes! fantastic!