Sauerkraut fish is one of the more representative dishes of Sichuan cuisine, loved for its hot and sour flavor, tender fish and crisp pickles.

Sauerkraut fish, also known as fish in sour soup, is a classic dish originating from Chongqing, known for its characteristic seasoning and unique cooking techniques. Popularized in the 1990s, it is one of the trailblazers of Chongqing's jianghu cuisine.

Sauerkraut is made from grass carp, cooked with kimchi and other ingredients, and has a hot and sour flavor; the fish is rich in high-quality protein, which provides people with abundant protein, minerals and other nutrients; the lactic acid in the sauerkraut promotes the body's absorption of iron, and also increases the human appetite.

Sauerkraut fish early more choice of grass carp production, the use of Sichuan specialties such as sauerkraut, wild peppers, pickled ginger, pickled lantern pepper and other seasonings production. Sauerkraut in Chongqing, Sichuan: also known as pickled sauerkraut. It has a salty and sour taste, crunchy texture, bright color and aroma, and is appetizing and refreshing. Want to do a good job of pickled fish to start from the following aspects:

① Ingredients selection.

Sauerkraut fish must be used in Sichuan's unique sauerkraut to do this dish, acidic, thick bottom taste, there is a unique taste of sauerkraut, there will also be a chef to use sour radish to taste the complement; and do not use the Northeast of the sauerkraut, Northeast sauerkraut is suitable for pork and other ingredients with a high content of grease cooking, coupled with the sauerkraut fish produced in the Chongqing area, there is a very deep regional features Based on the dietary preferences of the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, local specialty sauerkraut is used for cooking.

Early pickled fish is pickled plus river fish cooked with the evolution of this is a city flavor of a dish, so the public does not pursue the ingredients of the high-grade, only the degree of freshness of the fish, the fish can be tender, so most of the selection of grass carp production.

Later spread to other cities, blackfish, perch, carp, guppy can be used to make pickled fish, which enriches the category of pickled fish, to the later gradual development and innovation, pickled fish has become a fast-food category in the collection of popular categories, more than balsa fish as the main ingredient of pickled fish, because the balsa fish without thorns, tenderness, the price is more reasonable, so pickled fish category there are other fish! existence.

②Sauerkraut pickling.

Sauerkraut fish pickles used for the Sichuan specialty, the choice of mustard (gaiwan) made. Need to dry fresh mustard 2 to 3 days, sprinkle a layer of pickle salt pickling overnight, or directly into the altar pickling. The new brine needs to be pure water or cool white water with coarse salt, peppercorns, ginger, dried chili peppers, and a high degree of currant, sealed in a kimchi altar, or directly into the old brine in the altar to pickle.

Pickling time for about a week, like to pickle a little more thoroughly need to pickle more than thirty days. Usually sauerkraut in about 4 days, the highest nitrite content, with the growth of pickling date, the content gradually reduced.

③ Cooking production.

1, sauerkraut change knife. Restaurants do pickled fish, sauerkraut usually change the slice to use, the family usually cut thick silk to use.

2, sauerkraut to salt. Old altar sauerkraut is relatively salty, to be soaked in water or rinsed several times to remove some of the salt. It usually takes more than three rinses under running water to achieve the effect.

3, oil and flavor. Sauerkraut fish is best made with canola oil and lard, using canola oil and lard as the base oil to cook and fry sauerkraut, removing excess water and stimulating the sour flavor of sauerkraut. Lard will increase the tangy taste of the sauerkraut base soup, canola oil unique flavor, and sauerkraut with cooking, sour taste is more thick, fresh aroma is more prominent, the taste is more unique.

4, fish processing. In addition to sauerkraut has so much to pay attention to, fish also have certain requirements, fresh grass carp as the first choice. After slaughtering, gutting, rinsing, boning, slicing, de-blooding, marinating the bottom flavor, sizing tenderization and other processes, only to complete the rough processing of fish.

5, skillfully cooked. Sauerkraut's base soup is cooked, the sauerkraut out, you need to cook the fish bones, you can also fry and then cook, cook the fish bones can also increase the freshness of the soup. Fish bones out of the fish, scattered into the fish slices, low-fire immersion cooking until eight or nine mature, you can fish out, add the original soup cooked.

6, hot oil fragrance. Sichuan cuisine is good at the use of hot oil, the last hot oil popping pepper, pepper, chili, garlic, etc. to achieve the effect of spicy fresh aroma hot. Sauerkraut fish is no exception, you need to drizzle hot oil fried fragrant small onion or garlic, to achieve the production requirements of the dish.

The later evolution of pickled fish, will be put into the peppercorns, mace, dried chili peppers, millet chili, wild mountain pepper, etc., to increase the numbness and spiciness of the flavor, but also to increase the color of the pickled fish, looks more appetizing.