Lao Tan took the fish meat that had been modified with the knife and said to everyone: "Do you see it? The fish meat is white and tender. It looks like there is no blood, but in fact there is. Fish meat is also meat, and it is still freshly killed. Can it be without blood? So it is necessary to modify the knife.
Rinse with water to remove the smell of blood."
Rinse the fish, then dry it with a clean towel, add salt and cooking wine and marinate it briefly.
After three minutes, start powdering the squirrel fish.
"The powder must be applied finely, first on the skin side of the fish, and then on the flesh."
Lao Tan powdered the skin side of the fish, turned it over, with the fish meat facing down, and opened the fish pellets. After powdering all the fish, he shook it with his hands to shake off the excess powder.
Then heat up the pot and boil water. Add green onion, ginger, and a little salt to the water. Add the marinated soft fan fish meat to the pot. Control the water temperature to a small bubble state and cover the pot.
"Don't boil the fish water when making West Lake vinegar. It looks like boiling but is actually soaking. The live fish will be ready in five minutes. If you don't know how to make it, look at the fish's eyes. If the fish's eyes pop out, it will definitely be cured." Lao Tan said.
Leave the fish alone in the pot, then heat up the oil in another pot. When the oil temperature is 60% hot, hold both ends of the powdered squirrel fish with both hands and fry it in the pot. Fry quickly to set the shape, then remove the pot from the heat and fry slowly until cooked.
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Two pots, one for soaking the fish and one for frying.
Lao Tan quickly prepared the sweet and sour sauce for the squirrel fish.
The West Lake vinegar fish arrived first, so Lao Tan took the pot off the fire and left it there for now. The squirrel fish here was also cooked, so he took it out. When the oil temperature in the pot rose to 60% hot again, he put it in the pot and fried it quickly.
Remove and plate.
Then add the bottom oil to the pot, pour in the prepared sweet and sour sauce and heat it until it boils. Stir and rotate in one direction with a hand spoon. When golden bubbles appear at the bottom of the pot, pour in the hot oil for frying the fish and stir again.
I saw the sweet and sour sauce in the pot boiling and rustling, and the sweet and sour aroma began to waft out.
At this time, take the pot off the heat and quickly pour the sweet and sour sauce over the squirrel fish.
The golden and high-temperature sweet and sour sauce rustles and bubbles on the fish, and the tempting, sweet and sour taste makes people salivate.
The squirrel fish is done.
Lao Tan then put the West Lake Vinegar Fish in a pot and put it on a plate, then put the pot on the heat, added salt, sugar, and Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar to the water.
"West Lake vinegar fish pays attention to sweetness first, then sourness and then saltiness, and the aftertaste is fragrant, so it is clear which one should be added first, sugar and vinegar." Lao Tan said to the local vegetable pot cook: "You just prepared it first.
The juice has the right ratio of sweet and sour, but it is served cold. When heated, part of the vinegar evaporates, making it sweet when eaten. The vinegar flavor is not obvious, and the characteristics of West Lake vinegar fish are not brought out. "
The local cabbage hotpot chef nodded with sincerity after hearing this.
When the soup in the pot started to boil, Lao Tan immediately turned down the heat and poured in the gravy.
"
While talking, beat up the gravy, then remove from the fire and pour a little sesame oil on it, and mix it evenly with the bottom of a spoon.
"The sauce is translucent, with no oil in the juice. This is the characteristic of West Lake Vinegar Fish Gourd." Lao Tan said while pouring sauce on the fish: "West Lake Vinegar Fish pays attention to tender and delicious meat. It eats like crab and has a fragrant vinegar flavor.
The aftertaste is long.”
West Lake vinegar fish is ready.
"Okay, you guys have a try." Lao Tan said, pointing to the two kinds of fish prepared in different ways on the same plate.
Erdun was the first to use his chopsticks. The first thing he tasted was the West Lake vinegar fish, and he said "eh". Then came the squirrel fish. After eating a piece of fish meat, he couldn't help but click his mouth twice and said "ok".
Next came the two head pot masters and other masters, and when it was the younger brother's turn, they were almost gone.
"Well done, the boss is the boss." Erden said first.
The two hotpot chefs seemed to have failed to organize their words well, so they raised their thumbs up.
"Boss, tell us about these two dishes." said a younger brother.
When Lao Tan saw it was Gu Yi's son, he smiled and said, "Okay, let me tell you about it."
Gu Yi's son immediately handed over a bottle of water, which made everyone laugh.
"The West Lake Fish in Vinegar is a traditional dish of Hangzhou cuisine. It was created during the Northern Song Dynasty. There is also an allusion to this dish, which is about the love between uncle and sister. I think you all know it, so I won't go into details." Lao Tan said.
"Tell me, tell me, boss, we don't know," someone said.
Lao Tan said: "There is a brother-in-law who is sick. He is lying in bed unable to eat anything and is getting thinner and thinner. My sister-in-law is anxious, why are she anxious? My brother-in-law's parents died when he was young, and he was brought up by his sister-in-law. My sister-in-law is more capable than my mother. Not in a hurry?
Seeing that my brother-in-law couldn't eat anything, my sister-in-law went to the West Lake and bought a freshly caught live fish. When she got home, she didn't braise it or stew it. She thought that her brother-in-law had no appetite, so she cooked it with water and mature vinegar.
Unexpectedly, the fish made with vinegar was extremely delicious and rich in aroma. The extremely ill brother-in-law had a huge appetite and ate a whole fish. When the sister-in-law saw how good it was, she was saved if she could eat, so she started eating one fish every day. A month later, the brother-in-law had The disease was actually cured.
Since then, this practice has been passed down. The fish comes from the West Lake, so it is called West Lake Vinegar Fish."
"Oh, that's what happened -" Those who heard this allusion for the first time couldn't help but nod, suddenly realizing it.
"To make West Lake vinegar fish, you must use live fish. Live fish is delicious. When cooking, it is soaked, not boiled. Soaking is different from boiling. If the temperature is enough during soaking, you can turn off the heat in three minutes.
In addition, West Lake vinegar fish is divided into soft and hard fans. The soft fan does not need to be modified, but the hard fan needs to be cut on the inside of the spine, so that the fish meat of both fans can mature at the same time. Also, when making the sauce, be sure to add sugar first and then vinegar. Zhenjiang Balsamic Vinegar is the best, with rich aroma and maroon color.
After pouring the gravy on the fish, sprinkle ginger rice on it. Remember, it’s ginger rice, not minced ginger. The ginger rice is cut and the minced ginger is minced, which will bring out different flavors.”
After talking about West Lake Vinegar Fish, Lao Tan then talked about squirrel fish. When talking about squirrel fish, he focused on knife skills and frying. These two steps are the key points.
He concluded: "The squirrel fish looks like a squirrel, is vivid and beautiful in appearance, and attracts people's attention before eating it. It is indeed better than the West Lake vinegar fish in terms of appearance.
But when it comes to the freshness and tenderness of the fish, the fresh and delicious West Lake Vinegar Fish is the best.
One fish has two methods and two tastes, representing two different cuisines. The food culture of two different places has its own advantages and disadvantages. We cannot simply say which one is better and which one is worse. There must be dishes that can be passed down. The uniqueness is not something we can comment on.
A cook should not be rigid when cooking.
Nowadays, society is about harmony and cuisine is about integration. This is not a trend but a necessity.
Food from the south is cooked in the north, and food from the north is cooked in the south. Only in this way can we develop and progress. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered to open the dumpling restaurant to our Suzhou, right?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Remember, West Lake vinegar fish is a method, not just a fish. The same is true for squirrel fish.
Whether a dish sells well or not does not depend on the shape, but ultimately the taste. You don’t ask for anything else when cooking, just delicious food.
If you want delicious food, it is simple. Study hard and practice hard. Three parts of nature plus seven parts of effort. Look for the inside rather than the appearance. Look for the taste rather than the shape. Once the skill is achieved, the shape will be there naturally. You can do whatever you want.
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Lao Tan finally said to Erdun: "As for whether to sell West Lake vinegar fish or squirrel fish, you and Chef Gao will decide this yourself. I will not participate. But there is one thing. No matter which one you sell, you must first practice the basic skills well. I will also
It’s done and you’ve all tasted it, so just follow this standard.”
Erdun nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, I understand."
The other masters also nodded.
"Boss, let's get the two fishes together." When Lao Tan turned around to leave, Gu Yi's son said loudly, holding an empty plate with only juice left.
Lao Tan turned around and looked at him approvingly, and said, "Okay, I'll discuss it with your boss, I think it's okay."
"Yeah!" The young man pumped his fist excitedly and almost threw the plate in his hand.