Ribbon Fish, Two Methods

Ingredients

• ribbon fish (刀魚)
• honey wine (蜜酒)
• clear soy sauce (清醬)
• Jinhua ham stock (火腿湯)
• chicken stock (雞湯)
• bamboo shoot stock (筍湯)

Instructions

1. Method One: Steaming. Marinate the ribbon fish with honey wine and clear soy sauce, place on a plate, and steam as one would with shad fish (鰣魚法) — this is the finest preparation. Do not add water.
2. If concerned about the abundant small bones, use an extremely sharp knife to scrape away fish fillets, then use tweezers to extract the remaining bones. Braise the fillets in Jinhua ham stock, chicken stock, or bamboo shoot stock — the flavor becomes incomparably fresh and exquisite.
3. Method Two: Pan-Frying (Anhui style). The people of Nanjing, fearful of the many bones, deep-fry the fish until very dry, then pan-fry it. (There is a saying: "A hunchback with a straight spine means the person cannot live" — this refers to such unnatural treatment.) Alternatively, use an extremely sharp knife to slice the fish backbone on a diagonal, cutting through so that all fine bones are severed. Then place in the wok and pan-fry until golden, add seasonings, and at table one will not know bones exist at all. This is the method of the great lady (大太) of Wuhu, Tao.