Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil

Boiled fish in chilli oil (shui zhu yu, literally 'water-cooked fish') is one of the canonical Chongqing-Sichuan banquet dishes and among the most visually dramatic presentations in Chinese cooking — a deep bowl brimming with red-orange chilli-oil, with the fish barely visible beneath the surface of dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns.

The preparation involves two stages: the fish (grass carp, tilapia, or sometimes catfish, sliced thin and marinated briefly in egg white and starch) is first gently poached in lightly-seasoned water with ginger and Shaoxing wine until just cooked. The fish slices are transferred to a deep bowl lined with blanched bean sprouts and cabbage, which provide textural contrast and absorb the oil.

A thick layer of dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns is spread over the fish, followed by a substantial quantity of vegetable or chilli oil heated in a wok to smoking temperature — 200°C or above. The oil is poured over the chilli-and-peppercorn layer at the table, producing a loud sizzle, a cloud of aromatic steam, and the final cooking of the chillies that releases their colour and flavour into the oil.

The dish is not fried: the fish is already cooked before the oil arrives. The oil serves as a flavour medium and a dramatic tableside presentation. Diners fish the slices out with chopsticks and eat them with rice; the oil and chilli are not consumed in significant quantity.

The mala flavour profile here — numbing (Sichuan peppercorn) and spicy (chilli) combined — is more intense than in many other Sichuan dishes.