Happy mid week: grilled fish (烤鱼), two ways!
A mid-week dinner of Chinese grilled fish (烤鱼): one in a tangy pickled-vegetable broth, one in a numbing mala chilli broth with noodles.
Happy mid-week! 😋 We treated ourselves to a proper feast with BB: Chinese grilled fish (烤鱼), ordered two ways so we could compare.
What we had:
- A whole grilled fish in a pickled-vegetable (suancai) broth, tangy and sour with green chilli and peanuts
- A whole grilled fish in a mala broth, swimming in chilli oil, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts, with noodles soaking underneath
烤鱼 is a Chongqing-style dish where a whole fish is first grilled, then laid in a tray of bubbling broth at the table, so the flesh stays smoky and a little charred while soaking up all that flavour. Getting one of each broth is the way to do it.
The pickled-vegetable one was the bright, appetising side: sour and savoury from the suancai, with a fresh tang that keeps you going back. The mala one was the thrill ride, numbing, fiery and fragrant with Sichuan peppercorn, building a tingle on the lips. The noodles soaking up that spicy oil at the bottom were almost the best part.
The fish itself was tender and flaky, peeling easily off the bone, and there was loads of it. A fun, interactive, properly indulgent mid-week dinner to share.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Smoky grilled fish in a tangy suancai broth and a fiery mala one, a fun feast to share. Would re-order.
