(CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Here are some ways to cook the hairtail fish.
Homestyle fried hairtail
INGREDIENTS
1 whole hairtail, or 6-8 pieces of frozen hairtail
1 tsp ginger juice
Cornstarch and salt
1 tsp turmeric powder or five-spice powder
METHOD
1. Chop off the head of the hairtail and discard. Using a pair of scissors, trim off the side fins, working from the tail up so they can be easily snipped. Clean out the guts, making sure the bloodline next to the spine is completely scraped clean. Cut the fish into 5cm sections, rinse and pat completely dry.
2. Drizzle with ginger juice and set aside to marinate.
3. Mix about 2 Tbs cornstarch with salt and turmeric and place into a large ziplock bag. Add the fish sections and shake to coat thoroughly.
4. Dust off any extra flour and fry the fish in shallow oil over a medium heat. Do not touch or turn the fish until a crust forms on one side. Shake the frying pan gently to loosen the fish from the pan. Turn only after a full five minutes. The medium heat will crisp the fish without burning it.
5. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with lemon wedges and a bit of soya sauce on the side.
Braised hairtail in savoury brown sauce
INGREDIENTS
6-8 sections of fried hairtail
1 brown onion
1 red chilli pepper
Oil
½ tsp of freshly cracked black pepper
Water
Cornstarch, sesame oil and soya sauce for a slurry
METHOD
1. Make a batch of fried hairtail.
2. Slice the onion in half, then into thin slices. Deseed the chili and cut into fine rings.
3. Heat up some oil in a pan and saute the onions until they turn lightly brown and fragrant. Add the chilli and black pepper.
4. Take half a rice bowl of water and add 1 Tbs cornstarch, a dash of sesame oil and soya sauce to taste. Mix the slurry well and pour into the pan. Stir as the sauce thickens.
5. Add the fish and cover to cook about five minutes.
6. Dish up fish and put on a plate. Serve hot, with rice.
