Source: Winter melon food knowledge
In the world of cooking, every dish contains a myriad of little secrets. Today, we're going to explore the tips behind the classic dish of fried hairtail. Deep-fried hairtail is not only delicious, but also nutritious, and is a frequent guest on the table of many families. However, many people encounter a problem when frying hairtail: it is easy for hairtail to stick to the pan or break the skin, which affects the beauty and taste of the dish. So, how can you make the hairtail fried both beautiful and delicious? Let's follow in the chef's footsteps and learn this trick!
Material selection and preparation
First of all, we want to choose fresh hairtail. Fresh hairtail has intact scales, a shiny body, and firm and elastic flesh. When purchasing, you can ask the store to help clean it, remove the fish head and bones, and cut it into suitable size pieces.
When you get home, rinse the hairtail with clean water and blot it with a kitchen paper towel. This can effectively prevent oil splashing during frying. Next, put the hairtail in a bowl, add the appropriate amount of salt, cooking wine, ginger slices, and green onions, and marinate for about 10 minutes to remove the fishy smell and add flavor.
Pickling techniques
Marinating is one of the key steps in frying hairtail. In addition to the above-mentioned salt, cooking wine, ginger and green onion segments, you can also add some spices such as pepper and five-spice powder according to your personal taste. When marinating, make sure that the seasoning is evenly spread on the fish and gently massage it for a few minutes to allow the fish to fully absorb the flavor of the seasoning. The marinating time should not be too long, so as not to affect the taste of the fish.
Handling before frying
This is the key to the non-stick pan of fried hairtail without breaking the skin. Many people like to fry hairtail directly when they fry it, but in fact, doing so can easily lead to sticking to the pan and breaking the skin. The correct way to do this is to first coat the hairtail in a thin layer of dry starch or flour. This creates a protective film on the surface of the hairtail to prevent the fish from sticking to the pan or breaking the skin when the fish comes into direct contact with the pan during frying.
Frying process
Now, we can start frying the hairtail. First of all, after the pot is heated, pour in an appropriate amount of cooking oil (preferably edible oil with good high temperature stability, such as peanut oil, fragrant edible vegetable oil, etc.), and when the oil temperature is five or six hot (about 180 °C), gently put the starchy hairtail into the pot. At this time, it is necessary to pay attention to maintaining moderate fire power to avoid excessive oil temperature and cause scorching. At the same time, fry slowly over medium-low heat to make the hairtail more evenly and thoroughly.
During the frying process, do not turn the hairtail frequently to avoid damaging the integrity of the fish. When the hairtail is fried until golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it can be removed and drained. If you prefer a more crispy texture, you can raise the oil temperature to 78% hot (about 220°C) and put the hairtail in the re-frying again, but not too long to avoid burning.
Plating and seasoning
After the fried hairtail is removed, it can be placed on a plate and the shape can be adjusted slightly. To make the hairtail even more delicious, you can also make some dipping sauces or toppings to suit your taste. For example, you can mix light soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, ginger and other seasonings together to make a sweet and sour sauce and pour it over the fried hairtail, or add texture and color with some lemon slices and coriander.
Tips:
1. During the frying process, be sure to pay attention to the control of the heat. Too much fire will easily lead to scorching, and too little power will affect the frying effect.
2. In order to maintain the integrity of the hairtail, try to avoid frequent turning when frying. If you need to flip, also gently push it with a spatula to avoid breaking the shape of the fish.
3. After frying, you need to pour out the remaining oil, retain a little base oil and stir-fry with the hairtail. This will make the hairtail not too greasy and the taste will be more refreshing.
Although it may seem simple, there are a lot of tricks involved. By mastering the above chef-level tips for frying hairtail, I believe you can easily fry the golden and crispy, non-stick hairtail without breaking the skin. Whether it's a family dinner or a gathering of friends, a dish of fried hairtail is sure to add a lot of sparkle to your table. Give it a try and take your cooking to the next level!