Spotted Grouper

Name: Spotted Grouper
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 whole fish spotted grouper (班魚); 3 parts Shaoxing wine (or rice wine); 2 parts water; 1 part autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油); 1 large bowl fresh ginger juice (薑汁); several stems scallion (蔥); chicken stock (雞湯)

Origin: Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Source: Yuan Mei 袁枚, 1792

Ingredients

1 whole fish spotted grouper (班魚)
3 parts Shaoxing wine (or rice wine)
2 parts water
1 part autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油)
1 large bowl fresh ginger juice (薑汁)
several stems scallion (蔥)
chicken stock (雞湯)

Instructions

Select a young spotted grouper for its tenderness. Remove and discard the skin and any offal. Separate the liver from the body meat into two portions.
Braise the fish in chicken stock combined with wine (three parts), water (two parts), and autumn-pressed soy sauce (one part). The proportions create a balanced braising liquid.
When the fish is nearly done and the moment comes to finish the dish, remove from heat. Add a large bowl of fresh ginger juice and several scallion stems. These aromatics kill the rank fishy odor and perfume the dish at the final moment.