Perfectly cooked whole branzino is topped with a vibrant sauce of garlic, ginger, shallots, Thai chilies, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, honey and rice vinegar.
Branzino
The crispy fish contrasts nicely with the punchy flavors of the sauce. For the best texture, cook the branzino until the flesh flakes easily but is still juicy. Everything can be prepped ahead of time and then quickly cooked and tossed together.
Ingredients
- 2 pound whole branzino, gutted and scaled
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½-inch knob ginger, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- ½ stalk lemongrass, rough cut
- 4 Thai chilis, halved
- 1 cup Shaoxing wine
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Heat 1½ inches of vegetable oil 350-360°F. Place a sheet tray with a wire rack or lined with paper towels next to your frying station so you can easily remove the fish from the wok after frying.
- Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the fins and tail off of the fish. The fish scraps can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days and made into make a fish stock.
- Use a chef’s knife or fillet knife to cut ⅓ inch deep down both sides of the vertebrae. Starting one side of the fish one inch away from and parallel to the gills, make 4 to 5 diagonal slices into the flesh , cutting all the way to the ribs and spacing the slices 2 inches apart. Repeat with the other side.
- In a large bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, shallots, lemongrass, Thai chilis, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Let marinate for a minimum of one hour before use.
- Place the branzino in a large baking dish. Use a pastry brush to liberally brush the Shaoxing marinade inside the cavity, into the cuts, , and onto the skin. Season each area with a few pinches of salt and a few twists of fresh cracked pepper.
- Drain the excess marinade and place fish onto a new baking tray. Combine the cornstarch and rice flour. Sift over both sides of the fish with a small hand strainer. Make sure all the fish is covered with flour, including the cuts to ensure a crispy crust.
- The drier the fish is the more even fry it will produce. Shake off any excess flour, then stand the fish up on its belly pulling the belly flaps outward. If the fish falls over, make a longer cut from the belly to create a wider base and help the fish stand up easily in the wok.
- Set the center of the fish (where it holds the most weight) onto a spider and carefully place into the hot oil. The oil should froth and sizzle. The temperature of the oil will