Shanghai Cuisine · FFET10219
Xun yu (soy-sugar fried fish)
Fried fish pieces soaked in a rock sugar and soy sauce marinade and eaten cold; despite the name, nothing is smoked.
A white porcelain plate holds fried carp pieces coated in glossy brown soy and sugar sauce, with thin ginger strips, star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon among the fish, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
The benbang and Haipai cooking of Shanghai, rich and dark-sauced, drawing on flavours from many places.
Xun yu is made by marinating pieces of fish such as black carp, frying them and soaking them in a sweet marinade of rock sugar, soy sauce, wine and spices, then eating them cold; despite the word for smoking in the name, there is no smoking step. Also called bao yu, it is a traditional dish of Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi cooking. Shanghai families serve it on New Year's Eve to wish for surplus every year, a custom documented in 2019 and 2020.
What
Xun yu is pieces of fish that are fried and then soaked while hot in a sweet marinade of rock sugar, soy sauce, wine and spices, and eaten cold. Despite the word for smoking in the name, there is no smoking step. It is also called bao yu, where bao refers to the frying.1,2,4,5
Where
It is a traditional dish of Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi cooking, also appearing in 2019 and 2020 accounts of Shanghai New Year's Eve meals. Carp is the traditional fish used in Shanghai and Nanjing.1,2,3,4,5
How
Black carp is cut into pieces, marinated and deep-fried, then soaked while hot in a marinade reduced from rock sugar, soy sauce, wine and spices. The 2 recipes both soak the fried fish while hot; 1 calls for an overnight soak, while the other notes that the finished fish keeps for 3 days.2,4,5
Why
The word for fish sounds like the word for surplus, and bao suggests bursting forth or prospering, so Shanghai families serve it on New Year's Eve to wish for surplus every year, a custom documented in 2019 and 2020. A big batch is made and eaten cold through the holiday.2,3
Impact and influence
In Meituan ordering figures relayed in a 2019 article, bao yu ranked among the top 5 dishes ordered for Shanghai New Year's Eve.2,3
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
Both recipes for xun yu are English-language adaptations: one comes from a family food writer and puts oyster sauce and orange juice in the marinade; the other comes from a food blog, uses catfish that can be bought in the US and says carp is the traditional fish. This is my home version: the water and rock sugar in the marinade follow the latter recipe, the frying temperature is the same in both, I leave out the oyster sauce and orange juice, and the other amounts are my own choices at home. A cup is a US cup, about 240 ml.
Ingredients
- Catfish fillet or carp 500 g, cut into pieces about 2 cm thick
- Cooking wine for the fish 2 tablespoons
- Grated ginger 1 teaspoon
- Salt 1/4 teaspoon
- White pepper 1/4 teaspoon
- Cooking oil for frying 4 cups
- Water for the marinade 3 1/2 cups
- Rock sugar 1/3 cup
- Cooking wine for the marinade 1/4 cup
- Light soy sauce 4 tablespoons
- Dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon
- Black vinegar 1 tablespoon
- Star anise 2 pods
- Bay leaves 3 leaves
- Cinnamon 1 small piece
Steps
- Mix the fish pieces with the wine, ginger, salt and white pepper and leave them for about 1 hour. The former recipe chills the fish for 4 to 6 hours; I keep to 1 hour for convenience.
- Make the marinade first: put the water, rock sugar, wine, both soy sauces, vinegar, star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat. The latter recipe simmers about 35 minutes and the former reduces to about 2 cups; I simmer until it thickens slightly and is down to about 2 cups.
- Pat the fish dry. Heat the frying oil to about 190 degrees Celsius, the temperature both recipes give. Fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes a side, the time in the latter recipe, until golden, and lift out.
- The former recipe fries the fish twice: heat the oil again and return the pieces for a short second fry, which I make about 1 minute, my own choice.
- Put the fish into the marinade while it is hot, turn the pieces so each one is coated, and soak overnight, as the former recipe does, covered in the refrigerator.
- The fish must be cooked through: cut open a thick piece and the flesh should be white and opaque. Eat it cold; the latter recipe says it keeps for 3 days.
Tips
- I fry in small batches so the oil does not cool too much, and I keep back from the pan because hot oil spits.
- Both recipes put the fish in the marinade while it is hot, and so do I, so the pieces take up the liquid.
Allergens: fish, soy, wheat