Song Shu Gui Yu (Squirrel-Shaped Sweet and Sour Fish)
Fish turn into squirrels with a knife!? The Best Art of Sweet Anchovy Fish
Description
Japanese sweet and sour fish uses plain fillets. In Jiangsu (Suzhou) banquet cuisine, a whole Mandarin fish is masterfully scored with a cleaver. When deep-fried, the flesh explosively puffs out to resemble a 'Squirrel (Song Shu) with its fur standing on end'. An artistic masterpiece.
Restaurants serving Song Shu Gui Yu (Squirrel-Shaped Sweet and Sour Fish)
Researching
We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Whole white fish(Mandarin fish/Sea Bass)
- Potato starch
- Ketchup
- Black vinegar
- Sugar
- Pine nuts
- Shrimp
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Knife Magic) Decapitate a fresh Mandarin fish and remove the spine, keeping the two fillets attached at the tail.
- Skin-side down, score the flesh deeply in a diagonal crosshatch pattern WITHOUT piercing the skin (Mai Sui Hua Dao).
- Marinate with salt, wine, egg yolk, and aggressively pack starch deep into every cut.
- Hold the tail, flip the flesh inside out, and slowly lower into 180°C oil.
- The heat causes the cuts to explosively bloom outward, curling the fish into the shape of a 'fluffy squirrel'. Fry the head separately and assemble.
- (The Glaze) Boil ketchup, black vinegar, sugar, and broth. Add shrimp, peas, and pine nuts to make a bright red sweet/sour sauce.
- Splash the boiling glaze over the fried fish to make it sizzle.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Fruity sweet-sourness of ketchup and black vinegar
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Japanese sweet & sour fish fillets - visual is completely diff)
Pairing
Jasmine Tea / Shaoxing Wine
Trivia
[Trivia] Legend says Emperor Qianlong was served this in Jiangnan. When the boiling sauce was poured over the hot fried fish, it made a squeaking sound like a squirrel, hence the name 'Song Shu' (Squirrel).
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Use chopsticks to snap off the crispy 'squirrel fur' (the scored, puffed flesh strands), coat heavily in the sweet-sour glaze, and eat. The visual beauty and the crispy-outside/fluffy-inside texture are breathtaking.
Allergen
Seafood, Shrimp, Wheat, Eggs