Suan Cai Yu — Sichuan Pickled Mustard Green Fish

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

Silky velveted fish fillets swimming in a tangy, fiery broth of Sichuan pickled mustard greens, pickled chillies and a whisper of numbing pepper. Sour, savoury and deeply slurpable — the sort of bowl that makes rice disappear.

Per serving: 355 kcal · 37.0g protein · 11.0g carbs · 18.0g fat

Ingredients

• 700g firm white fish fillets (basa, sea bass or tilapia), sliced 5mm thick on the diagonal
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp potato starch (or cornflour)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 300g Sichuan pickled mustard greens (suan cai), rinsed and sliced
• 4 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 20g ginger, julienned
• 4 pickled red chillies (or 2 tbsp pickled chilli paste), chopped
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 dried red chillies (optional)
• 1.2 litres light chicken stock or water
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (for the broth)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar, to finish
• White pepper, to taste
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• Small handful coriander leaves
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Pat the fish slices dry. Toss with the salt, egg white, potato starch and 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine until glossy. Chill for 20 minutes — this velveting keeps the fish silky.
2. Rinse the pickled mustard greens under cold water, squeeze dry and slice into 3cm pieces. Taste: if very salty, rinse again.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies for 30 seconds until fragrant, then scoop out the peppercorns and discard (keep the flavoured oil).
4. Add the garlic, ginger and pickled chillies; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the mustard greens and fry 3–4 minutes until aromatic and slightly caramelised.
5. Pour in the stock, add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, the sugar and a pinch of white pepper. Simmer 12 minutes for the broth to turn properly sour and savoury.
6. Lift out about half the greens with a slotted spoon and spread them in a deep serving bowl.
7. Bring the broth to a bare simmer (not a rolling boil). Slip in the fish slices one by one, spreading them apart. Poach 2–3 minutes until just opaque — do not stir hard or they'll break.
8. Stir in the rice vinegar, check for salt, then pour the fish and broth over the greens in the bowl.
9. Scatter over the spring onions and coriander. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil until shimmering and pour it sizzling over the herbs, then drizzle with sesame oil. Serve straight away with steamed rice.