Hotpot Fish

Huoguo Yu (火锅鱼)

Fresh slices of fish are boiled in a spicy hotpot soup along with crisp bean sprouts and tender potatoes – all of it topped with fragrant cilantro.

Hotpot Fish is simply a specialty version of Spicy Boiled Fish (水煮鱼). Spicy Boiled Fish is traditionally made with Sichuan Chili Bean Paste. Hotpot Fish, however, is made with Hotpot Soup Base – a block of beef tallow filled with spicy Sichuan chilies and aromatics. The name Hotpot Fish isn’t always used and, in some Sichuan cities, this same dish is labeled Spicy Boiled Fish. Nevertheless, in Leshan, a city in Sichuan known for its Giant Buddha, you can find it easily as Fragrant-Spicy Hotpot Fish (香辣火锅鱼). The neighboring city of Zigong serves the fish in a solid stone wok under the name Stone Bowl Hotpot Fish (石锅火锅鱼).

This is a 'Hotpot' dish; therefore, the core Vegetables can be your favorite Hotpot staples. In Leshan, I had Hotpot Fish with Bean Sprouts and Potatoes. The local restaurants, however, had many more options including Celtuce, Celery, Black Wood Ear Mushrooms, White Mushrooms, Enoki Mushrooms, Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage, Cucumber, Winter Melon, Lotus Root, and so on. The only Vegetables that I would not recommend would be those not used in Sichuan Hotpot. These would be things like carrots, bell peppers, and onions.

Traditionally, a whole FRESH Fish would be used when making this dish. I emphasize fresh because of how important this is to Sichuan people. I remember reading restaurant reviews by locals in Leshan and the biggest factor affecting the score was the freshness of the Fish. Sichuan people expect the Fish to be killed, cleaned, and cooked upon order. While it's not necessary to start with a whole Fish, freshness is a must. The following recipe uses only fillets, though traditionally the spine, tail, and head would be cooked in the soup. If you would like more collagen to mimic this, simply add 1/4 cup of Fish Stock.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 20 min

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients

2 large – 4 small Fish Fillets (White Fish such as Tilapia, Flounder, Whiting, or Carp; About 500 grams)

Marinade
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
1 Tbsp. Ginger-Scallion Slurry
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

Vegetables (About 500 – 600 grams Total)
1 large handful of Bean Sprouts (About 100 grams)
1 large Potato (About 400 – 500 grams)

Aromatics
5 Pickled Red Chilies
4 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger

Chili-Oil Toppings
5 – 10 Dried Red Chilies
1 Tbsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns

Garnishes
1 small bunch of Cilantro
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (Optional)

Peanut Oil

1 4-inch block of Sichuan Hotpot Soup Base

Sauces and Seasonings
2 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. ground White Pepper

Directions

1.) Place the Fish Fillets on a cutting board. With a sharp knife in the right hand cutting from right to left, hold the blade almost flat with the cutting surface, the edge just barely angled down to cut, and carefully slice the fish into thin slices about an 1/8-inch thick.

(Fresh Fish will be easier to slice and hold its shape better when cooking. Also, fillets with skin are preferred. The skin is not only more traditional but also helps the Fish retain its shape and have better texture).

2.) Place the Fish slices in a bowl and add the Salt along with the Water. Gently wash the Fish slices under the water for about 1 minute to clean them. Drain the Water completely, refill the bowl with fresh Water, Drain, and repeat once more.

3.) Add the Rice Wine and Ginger-Scallion Slurry to the Fish slices, gently, mixing everything by hand. Then, add the Corn Starch, mix again by hand, and allow the Fish slices to rest while preparing the other ingredients.

4.) Prepare the Vegetables, placing them into separate bowls:

• Beans Sprouts: Simply wash the Bean Sprouts and place them in their own bowl.
• Potato: Wash and peel the Potato. Slice off one side of the Potato to create a flat surface. Place the Potato cut-side down on a cutting board and slice it at a 45-degree angle into thin 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices in a large empty bowl and fill the bowl with water. Add about 2 teaspoons to 1 Tbsp. of Salt to the water and mix gently.

5.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing everything into the same bowl:

• Cut the Pickled Red Chilies into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Peel, smash, and mince the Garlic.
• Peel, smash, and mince the Ginger.

6.) Prepare the Chili-Oil Toppings by snipping the Dried Red Chilies into 1/2-inch pieces and placing them into a small bowl with the Sichuan Peppercorns.

7.) Prepare the Garnishes by roughly chopping the Cilantro, slicing the Scallion into 1/2-inch pieces, and putting them together in the same bowl.

8.) Fill a large pot with about 3 Liters of water and heat on high until boiling. Add the Bean Sprouts and blanch them for about 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add them as the first layer in the serving dish. Keep the water in the pot boiling.

(Hotpot Fish can be served in a large bowl in the same manner as Spicy Boiled Fish. But to make the dish a little more unique, I would recommend a large claypot that can be heated prior to serving. This would replicate Stone Bowl Hotpot Fish and allow the flavor to concentrate over time).

9.) Drain the water from the Potato slices and par-cook them in the boiling water until semi-softened. Drain the water and return the Potato slices to their original bowl.

10.) Add about 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil to a seasoned wok and heat on medium high. Once hot, remove the wok from heat and add the bowl of Aromatics, stir-frying everything just a few seconds until fragrant.

11.) Carefully slide in the block of Hotpot Soup Base. Return the wok to heat and melt the tallow until the entire Soup is liquid and bubbling.

(Pull the wok on and off heat as necessary to prevent the Hotpot Soup Base from burning. Cutting the Hotpot Soup Base into cubes can help it to melt faster, but is unnecessary with good heat control).

12.) Add about 8 cups of Water to the melted Soup Base and increase the heat to high. Add all of the Sauces and Seasonings (Soy Sauce, Salt, MSG, and White Pepper) and bring the Soup to a boil.

13.) Add the Potato slices and finishing cooking them in the Soup. Remove the slices with a large slotted spoon and place them atop the Bean Sprouts in the serving dish.

(For the Stone Bowl Hotpot Fish method, the Potato Slices can be added directly to the Bean Sprouts without being first cooked in the Soup).

14.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring the Soup to a simmer. Carefully add the Fish slices to the Soup and blanch them briefly until just cooked. Quickly remove the slices with a large slotted spoon and add them on top of the slices of Potato in the center of the serving dish.

(Do not overcook the Fish! Remember, the thin slices of Fish and Potatoes will continue to cook when the hot Soup is added. For Stone Bowl Hotpot Fish, the raw slices of Fish are often added directly on top of the Vegetables in the super-hot heated claypot. The Fish will cook in seconds when the hot Soup is poured over it).

15.) Increase the heat to high, quickly return the Soup to a boil, and then carefully pour the Soup in around the sides of the serving dish.

16.) Quickly switch to a deep skillet, small sauce pan, or clean wok and add 1/2 cup of Peanut Oil. Heat the Oil until nearly smoking, pull the wok away from heat, and go quickly to the dish. Add the Chili-Oil Toppings to the hot Oil and pour the sizzling Chili Oil over the Fish.

17.) Garnish the Hotpot Fish with plenty of Scallion and Cilantro and serve alongside individual bowls of white rice.

 

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