A Chinese New Year is not a New Year without fish, and you MUST have two of them: one for New Year’s Eve and one for Chinese New Year’s Day. That’s why, on the eve of Chinese New Year, we’re posting this Chinese Braised Fish (red cooked fish), or hong shao yu recipe for all of you! You have a multitude of fish dishes to choose from including our Cantonese whole steamed fish but this red cooked braised dish is certainly a winner.
As I mentioned in our Chinese New Year Menu post, this tradition is a symbol of abundance. Another tip: never flip a fish over on the plate! Fish can symbolize a boat, and flipping that fish over is like capsizing your boat. Bad, right!? Remember that one, especially if you have any guests or family working on the sea.
As it happens, this Chinese braised fish is my father’s specialty—a dish that he does better than anyone I know. The way my father cooks it is quite unique; he doesn’t add any water to braise the fish, which is almost unthinkable to many…me included.
The first time I saw him cook this braised fish, I was in awe at the amount of wine, vinegar and soy sauce he poured into the wok. One look at the recipe ingredient list might make you think there must be a mistake, but rest assured, it’s right. In fact, it’s exactly why this fish is so intensely good.
Chinese Braised Fish: Recipe Instructions
Using paper towels, pat the fish thoroughly dry. Wrap the fish in fresh paper towels while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The goal is to make the fish as dry as absolutely possible. Use a sharp knife to score both sides of the fish three times. This will help them cook quickly.
Once the prep work is done, unwrap the fish and dust it with a thin, even layer of cornstarch on both sides. This step will help keep the skin in tact during pan-frying.
Heat the wok until it starts to smoke, and immediately add the oil and ginger slices.
Reduce the heat to medium. Once the ginger slices start to brown, remove them from the wok and set aside. Carefully lay the fish in the wok, and DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER NOT TO MOVE OR TOUCH THE FISH for the next 5 minutes. You can tilt the wok around so the oil glides around to evenly brown the fish.
After 5 minutes, shake the wok slightly to see if the fish has seared enough to stop sticking to the wok. This is when you can carefully flip the fish over and do the same process for the other side.
Once both sides are nicely browned, add the ginger back to the wok…
Also add the scallions, shaoxing wine, sugar, Chinese black vinegar, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce.
Keep the heat at medium low, and cook the fish by continuously spooning the cooking liquid over the fish.
Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes. By now, the sauce should be cooked down and almost syrupy. Serve!
Tip: If you want to make sure the fish is done, carefully pick apart the thickest part of the fish. If the meat readily comes apart from the bone, it’s done. You can plate it so that the hole you made is facing down!
Serve this Chinese Braised Fish (Hong Shao Yu) at your next dinner party!
If you’re serving this Chinese braised fish for Chinese New year, make sure you cook two and leave one intact for the new year as a a symbol of abundance!
Chinese Braised Fish (Hongshao Yu)
Ingredients
- 2 tilapia (totaling about 2 ½ lbs, descaled and cleaned)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 3/4 cup shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Instructions
- Using paper towels, pat the fish thoroughly dry. Wrap the fish in fresh paper towels while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The goal is to make the fish as dry as absolutely possible. Use a sharp knife to score both sides of the fish three times.
- Once the prep work is done, unwrap the fish and dust it with a thin, even layer of cornstarch on both sides. This step will help keep the skin in tact during pan-frying.
- Heat the wok until it starts to smoke, and immediately add the oil and ginger slices. Reduce the heat to medium. Once the ginger slices start to brown, remove them from the wok and set aside. Carefully lay the fish in the wok, and DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER NOT TO MOVE OR TOUCH THE FISH for the next 5 minutes. You can tilt the wok around so the oil glides around to evenly brown the fish.
- After 5 minutes, shake the wok slightly to see if the fish has seared enough to stop sticking to the wok. This is when you can carefully flip the fish over and do the same process for the other side.
- Once both sides are nicely browned, add the ginger back to the wok along with the scallions, shaoxing wine, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Keep the heat at medium low, and cook the fish by continuously spooning the cooking liquid over the fish. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes. By now, the sauce should be cooked down and almost syrupy. Serve!
- Tip: If you want to make sure the fish is done, carefully pick apart the thickest part of the fish. If the meat readily comes apart from the bone, it’s done. You can plate it so that the hole you made is facing down!
nutrition facts
I tried this recipe the other day, this is the 5th recipe I’ve tried in a week from wok of life.
I was really scared to use that much shaoxing wine and black vinegar? This are ingredients I’m not familiar with and only learn from this site
I was really surprised how good the sauce is
I will definitely make this again for sure. I’m thinking tomorrow :)
Yes, this sauce is pretty intense, intensely good :-)
Hi, just wanted to check if this could be made with a white fish fillet like the one you used in the Cantonese Steamed fish? I am a vegetarian and while I cook the fish for the family, it is a lot easier to cook th efillet than a whole fish :-)
That’s tough, Manisha, fillets will fall apart during braising.
Have you tried making this with an oily fish, like Mackerel?
No, I have not, Alex! I think pan-fried mackerel would be better. See our pan-fried fish recipe.
I just cooked this with an 850g barramundi and it was magnificent. You website is one of the greatest Chinese cooking references I have come across. Thank you so much for helping me fall in love with the wok again!
James
You are very welcome, James.
Is it possible to use yellow croaker fish instead of tilapia?
Yes, Alex.
Hello! I have had great success with your other recipes and would love to try this, is this crispy on the outside?
Thank you
Hi Amirah, once it is cooked in the sauce, everything is softened but still very delicious.
Maybe I did something wrong. It did not look like your picture and was soggy.
Hi Simon, with so many readers having successfully made the recipe, it may be worth another try :-)
Hi guys, I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Just one question – your pictures show a reddish sauce, and mine came out a very dark brown. I didn’t see anything in the ingredients that would produce a reddish color. Can you help me figure this out?
You did good, Kevin. The finished color should be brownish. The color in our photos has been edited and is affected by lighting as well. Anyway, I am so glad you enjoyed the dish :-)
Just made and ate this.
Absolutely divine and so easy to cook. Move over Traditional English Sunday Roast Dinner!
I am curious as to the advice to cook two fish and save one for New Year’s Day to show abundance. I totally get the abundance bit, but how do you reheat/serve the fish you cooked the night before?
I found your website recently and have spent hours on it and already cooked several dishes. All of them a huge hit. I have bookmarked a load of dishes.
I live in central London, so I am spoiled for choice when it comes to great regional Chinese food, both in terms of restaurants, takeaways and supermarkets. Basically, I know what the good stuff tastes like and the food I have cooked from your website more than lives up to expecations.
I am not talking about the sticky, orange, sweet and sour stuff that is sadly the norm in the UK.
Thanks to you guys I am going to save a ton of money by cooking instead of ordering, or eating out, to get my fix of delcious Chinese food.
You even have a Salivia Chicken recipe, which my nearest takeaway charges £6.80 for a single portion.
Thank you once again.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Liz! Happy wokking and hope to hear from you often :-)
Im going to try this with White Perch a small firm white fleshed fish. Ranges up and down the mid Atlantic coast. My question is how would this traditionally be served. Over rice, with rice, with some type of vegetables?
Hi Joe, traditionally, this dish is served family style as one dish of several on the table depending how many people are eating. That said, you can also serve this as a main dish with rice and a veggie on the side.