The production of "smelly" mandarin fish in Huangshan is mainly pickled mandarin fish, because the quality of pickled mandarin fish directly affects the quality of dishes. Pickling the "smelly" mandarin fish in Huangshan must first choose fresh mandarin fish, remove the scales and internal organs, clean it and drain the water. Choose a wooden barrel, sprinkle a little refined salt on the bottom of the barrel, then smear a proper amount of refined salt on the surface of the fish one by one, put it neatly in the barrel, and stack it layer by layer. Finally, press a heavy object on the mandarin fish, turn it up and down once a day, and take it out of the bucket after a few days when it smells "smelly". Wash the fish and use it for cooking. It will "stink" after pickling.
Key points of folding processing of Siniperca chuatsi in this section
(1) In the process of curing "smelly" mandarin fish, the change of temperature and salt content plays a decisive role. The general temperature is 10-30℃, and the higher the temperature, the faster the curing speed. The salt content should be 400-500 grams per 25 kg mandarin fish. The less salt content in this range, the faster the curing speed. Take 25 kilograms of mandarin fish and 500 grams of salt as an example. When the temperature is 10-20℃, the curing time is about 7 days, when the temperature is 20-25℃, it takes about 4 days, and when the temperature is 25-30℃, it takes 2 days to finish the curing, achieving the "smelly" effect.
⑵ It is best to use wooden barrels to pickle "smelly" mandarin fish, so that the "smelly" mandarin fish tastes mellow. In the process of curing, adding heavy objects and pressing can make the meat quality of "smelly" mandarin fish close after cooking, and turn it up and down once a day, so that the salt can evenly penetrate into each mandarin fish and make its products uniform.
⑶ Picking "smelly" mandarin fish can also be divided into whole pickling (suitable for 250g-500g mandarin fish/strip) and block pickling (suitable for larger mandarin fish, changed to small pieces and then pickled). After cooking, the flavor is the same, but the block mandarin fish can be eaten separately because it is easy to taste, which is more popular with diners.
Fermented ballast
Fish are layered.
Stinky mandarin fish are divided into two groups: one group is pickled with stinky tofu, and the other group is naturally fermented at a certain temperature and humidity after pickling. The stinky mandarin fish used by "Yang Jixing" is locally customized in Huangshan: fresh mandarin fish is selected, weighing 62-72 per catty, and the net weight after slaughter is about 32 per catty. After pickling, put it in a pot, press it with heavy objects, ferment it for 3-5 days (one week in winter), then quickly freeze it and transport it to Beijing by cold chain.
When cooking, most local practices in Anhui are braising in soy sauce or dry frying. Stinky mandarin fish is slightly fried in rapeseed oil to remove fishy smell, and then added with marinade boiled with Hu Yumei broad bean hot sauce, and burned thoroughly in batches. Finally, stir-fry small ingredients, thicken the original soup and pour it on the fish. This not only speeds up the cooking, but also makes the cooked fish delicious, smooth and tender, and the soup is wider. Spoon juice into a bowl and mix rice is the favorite way for diners.
1. Pickled mandarin fish is smelly but not rotten, fresh and fragrant.
2. Add rapeseed oil, stir-fry slightly to remove fishy smell, and then add self-cooked brine soup to stew for 10 minute.
3. Stir fry the small ingredients in another pot, add the original soup and thicken it, and cover it on the mandarin fish.