Braised fish Chinese style is one of those comforting home-style dishes that makes me feel like I am sitting at my mother’s dining table. It’s not complicated, but the flavors are incredibly rich and satisfying.

Chinese-style braised fish (Hong Shao Yu, 红烧鱼, red-braised fish) is first pan-fried to give it golden, crispy skin, then gently braised in a rich, savory sauce full of aromatic goodness. It’s a popular way of cooking fish in Chinese homes, besides steamed whole fish, which I have a few recipes on this food blog.

Here’s how you can make it at home.

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Ingredients for the braised fish

• Fish. I used tilapia for this recipe today, but feel free to use your preferred fish instead. Pomfret and seabass are two other favorites I often cook with.
• Aromatic ingredients. To build flavor, I keep it classic with ginger, scallion, and garlic, the trio commonly used in Chinese cooking. 
• Seasoning. The seasoning leans toward Cantonese style. I used the fermented bean sauce known locally in Malaysia as Taucu. (It’s also referred to as soybean paste/ 面豉 / 豆酱碎). If you can’t find it, please substitute it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce.  The flavor won’t be the same, but it’s still delicious. (If you’re in the mood for something spicier, check out the variation I share in the section below.)
• Garnish. To finish the dish, I like to garnish it with curled green onions and red chilies for a pop of color.

How to prepare the Chinese braised fish

A. Pan-frying the fish

• First, clean the fish thoroughly. I always ask my fishmonger to gut and scale it for me, as this saves me from having to handle the messy parts at home.
• Before frying, rinse the fish thoroughly under running water and ensure that you remove any traces of blood from the cavity, as it can cause an unpleasant fishy odor.
• After cleaning, pat the fish dry thoroughly with paper towels. Then, make a few shallow diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish, with each cut spaced about half to one inch apart.
• In the meantime, prepare the aromatic ingredients: slice the ginger, cut the white part of the scallions (spring onions) into short sections, and halve or quarter the garlic cloves, depending on their size.

• Lightly dust both sides of the fish with cornstarch or potato starch., which helps keep the skin intact during frying.

• Heat vegetable oil in a pan or wok over medium heat. Carefully place the fish into the oil. Pan-fry the fish until it turns golden brown on both sides. Avoid moving the fish during the first three minutes to prevent the skin from tearing. After pan-frying, remove the fish from the oil.

B. Braising the Fish

• Pour off the excess oil, leaving about two tablespoons in the pan or wok.
• Add the ginger slices, white scallion sections, garlic, and sauté for a few minutes until they release their fragrance into the oil. 

• Add vinegar, dark soy sauce, soybean paste, sugar, ground white pepper, wine, and water. Let the mixture come to a boil.

• Gently return the fish to the pan. Using a spoon, baste the fish regularly with the simmering sauce. Turn the fish over only once, as it becomes quite delicate after it has been fried. Continuously spoon the sauce over the fish to ensure both sides absorb the flavors evenly.

• After about five minutes, the sauce should be reduced to a thick glaze. Carefully transfer the fish to a serving plate. 
• Lastly, add the sesame oil to the remaining sauce, then spoon the thickened sauce over the fish. Garnish with sliced chilies and the curled scallion to serve.

Variation

The braising sauce used in this recipe leans toward the Cantonese style. If you prefer a spicier version, you can replace the truck with chili bean paste (Doubanjiang). This Sichuan-style sauce has a slightly redder appearance. In this case, you won’t need dark soy sauce, which is mainly added for its deeper color.

Tips for Perfect Braised Fish

1. Using a non-stick pan makes pan-frying much easier, although the traditional method uses a well-seasoned cast-iron wok.
2. It’s crucial not to move the fish during the first three minutes of frying to avoid tearing the skin.  However, you can gently swirl the pan in the first few minutes to help loosen the fish from the bottom without damaging it.
3. The diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish help the flavors of the ginger, garlic, and scallion penetrate more effectively into the flesh.
4. Some recipes recommend making a ginger and scallion extract to marinate the fish for about 20 minutes before frying. To do this, finely slice the ginger into thin strips and cut the scallions into short sections. Add a bit of water, then gently squeeze the ginger and scallions to release their flavor. Then, stuff some ginger and scallion into the cavity and let it marinate for ten minutes. Some versions also include a splash of rice wine in the marinade to help eliminate any fishy odor. I use a simpler method in this recipe.