Braising · FFET10211
Red-braised hairtail
Hairtail cut into sections, marinated and fried golden, then simmered with soy sauce, wine, ginger, garlic and scallion until the sauce thickens.
A round white porcelain plate holds golden hairtail sections coated in thick, glossy brown sauce, accompanied by ginger slices, garlic cloves and green scallion pieces, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
Cooking in a moderate amount of liquid: red, white and dry braising and covered braising.
Red-braised hairtail is hairtail cut into sections, marinated, fried golden, and simmered with soy sauce, wine, scallion, ginger and garlic until the sauce reduces. Zhoushan is the main hairtail fishing ground, Zhejiang accounts for about half of the national catch, and hairtail on the market is mostly pan-fried and then red-braised. Adding vinegar and sugar makes sweet-and-sour hairtail. The January 30, 2022 report does not say where or when the dish began, and no dated text was found.
What
Red-braised hairtail is hairtail cut into sections, marinated, pan-fried until golden on both sides, and simmered with soy sauce, wine, ginger, garlic and scallion until the sauce thickens.2,3
When
No dated text was found, and the available report and recipes do not say when the dish appeared.1,2,3
Where
Zhoushan is the main hairtail fishing ground, and Zhejiang accounts for about half of the national catch. The January 30, 2022 report concerns the fishery and does not tie red-braised hairtail to any one city.1
How
Cut the fish into sections and marinate with salt, wine and ginger. One method dusts it with flour and fries it golden, then simmers it with soy sauce, wine, water, scallion and garlic until about 80% of the liquid has evaporated; another fries it for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Adding vinegar and sugar makes sweet-and-sour hairtail.1,2,3
Why
Hairtail on the market is mostly frozen, which suits red-braising. It is usually pan-fried beforehand to hold its shape.1
Impact and influence
China catches about 1,000,000 metric tons of hairtail a year. Catches are falling, and the fish landed are mostly young.1
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home: the hairtail is marinated, dusted with flour and fried golden, then simmered in soy sauce until the sauce reduces. The marinade, the flour and the braising amounts mainly follow one named recipe, which marinates for an hour or two and simmers after frying until about 80 percent of the liquid has evaporated; I use a little less salt in the marinade, and the dark soy sauce and sugar are my own additions. The other named recipe is a written summary of a video, and the three to four minutes a side for frying comes from it, which I then check against the color. How long I simmer is my own judgment, going by about a fifth of the liquid being left.
Ingredients
- Hairtail 500 g, cleaned and cut into sections about 5 cm long, patted dry
- Salt, for the marinade 1 teaspoon (about 6 g)
- Cooking wine, for the marinade 1.5 tablespoons (about 22 ml)
- Ginger 3 slices
- Flour 2 tablespoons (about 16 g)
- Cooking oil 45 ml (3 tablespoons)
- Garlic 3 cloves, smashed
- Scallions 2, whites cut in sections, greens chopped
- Light soy sauce 2 tablespoons (30 ml)
- Dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
- Sugar 1 teaspoon (about 4 g)
- Cooking wine, for the braise 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
- Water 130 ml
Steps
- Mix the fish with the salt, the marinade wine and the ginger, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Take the fish out, pat it dry, dust both sides lightly with flour, and shake off the excess.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the oil, and lay the fish in a single layer. Fry about 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden, turning once and gently. Fry in batches and set the fish aside.
- Pour off the extra oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon, and fry the garlic and scallion whites for about half a minute until fragrant.
- Add the light and dark soy sauce, the sugar, the 1 tablespoon of wine and the water, and bring to a boil. Return the fish, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish now and then, until about a fifth of the liquid is left.
- Scatter on the scallion greens. Cut into the meatiest piece: the fish is done when the flesh is opaque all the way through and comes easily off the bone.
Tips
- Hairtail flesh is soft and breaks easily, so I turn it just once and do not press it with the spatula. This is my own habit.
- Soy sauce gets saltier as the liquid reduces, so I start with 2 tablespoons and taste before adding more. This is my own way.
Allergens: fish, soy, wheat