Boiled fish is a famous Sichuan dish and one of the representatives of Chinese cuisine. Although its name is simple, it has a legendary story and is closely related to a Sichuan cuisine master and a culinary competition.
The inventor of boiled fish is a chef born into a family of Sichuan cuisine, and he has a strong interest and talent for cooking since he was a child. In 1983, he participated in a culinary competition held in the Chongqing area, and won unanimous praise and awards from the judges for his innovative boiled meat slices. This boiled meat slice is the predecessor of boiled fish, it uses egg white, salt, peppercorn powder and other seasonings to mix well-mixed meat slices, put into boiling water to cook, and then poured with red oil, pepper, peppercorns and other spices, bright color, tender taste, spicy and fragrant.
This dish was originally his own private dish, but because it tasted so good, it quickly spread. Every time he entertains relatives and friends, he treats him with this dish. Once, one of his childhood friends came to visit him and brought a few freshly caught Jialing River grass carp. This friend grew up not eating meat, only fish. He wanted his friends to try his specialty, but there was no other meat available. So he had the idea to cut the fish into slices in the same way, cook it in boiling water, and then pour it with spices such as red oil and chili peppers. In this way, the first pot of boiled fish was born. My friend was full of praise when he ate it, saying that it was the best fish he had ever tasted.
Since then, he has devoted himself to the practice of boiling fish, improving and innovating according to the characteristics of the fish and the tastes of the locals. After more than a year of hard work, the boiled fish was basically finalized in 1985. It uses grass carp or black fish as the main material, first mix well with condiments and then put it in boiling water to blanch, then put it into a pot with watercress, ginger and garlic, peppercorns and other spices and stir-fry for a while, and finally add green and red pepper, celery and other ingredients and a little water starch to thicken out of the pot. The boiled fish produced by this is tender and tender, with a rich soup, spicy but not dry, fragrant but not greasy.
Soon boiled fish caused a sensation in the Yubei region of Chongqing and gradually became popular throughout the country. At the beginning of 1999, Mr. Yang Zhan, the founder of Boiling Fish Township, met the inventor of boiled fish through a friend's introduction, and brought authentic boiled fish back to Beijing. According to the climatic characteristics and eating habits of northerners, he made technical improvements to boiled fish to make it more suitable for the taste of northerners. His first shop was called Boiling Fish Town, named after the hot oil churning and chili peppers rolling when boiled fish was made. Boiling fish in the village of boiling fish has also caused a sensation in Beijing and has become a popular delicacy.
This is one of the origin stories of boiled fish, and of course there are other different versions and sayings. In any case, boiled fish, as a traditional Sichuan dish, has a place in Chinese cuisine and is also the pride and pride of Sichuan cuisine masters. If you have a chance to visit Chongqing or Beijing, be sure to try this boiled fish and feel its charm!