Kitchen Recipe Collection
Squirrel Shaped Mandarin Fish (Songshu Guiyu)
A visually stunning Suzhou banquet dish. A whole fish is elaborately scored, deep-fried so the flesh puffs out like a squirrel's tail, and drenched in a vibrant sweet and sour sauce.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 1 whole mandarin fish (or sea bass/snapper), about 800g, cleaned
- 1 cup cornstarch (for dredging)
- Oil for deep frying
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional garnish)
- 1/4 cup frozen peas and diced carrots
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (for sauce slurry)
Equipment
- Sharp filleting knife
- Large wok for deep frying
Instructions
- 1
Remove Head
Cut off the fish head. Split it in half, press it flat, and set it aside.
- 2
Fillet the Fish
Carefully fillet the fish from the neck down to the tail along the spine, but DO NOT cut through the tail. The two fillets should remain attached at the tail fin.
- 3
Remove Spine
Use scissors to snip the spine bone off at the tail and discard it. You now have two attached, boneless fillets.
- 4
Score the Meat
Place the fillets skin-side down. Score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern (diamond shapes) down to the skin, but do not pierce the skin.
- 5
Dredge in Starch
Coat the entire fish (and the head) heavily in cornstarch. Ensure starch gets deep into all the crosshatch cuts.
- 6
Heat Oil
Heat a large wok of oil to 375°F (190°C).
- 7
Fry the Fish
Hold the fish by the tail and gently lower the fillets into the oil. The scored flesh will immediately puff outwards like a pinecone or squirrel tail.
- 8
Crisp
Fry the body and the head for 5-7 minutes until completely golden and rigid. Drain and arrange on a platter, placing the head back in front of the body.
- 9
Make Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil.
- 10
Add Veggies
Add the peas, carrots, and pine nuts to the sauce.
- 11
Thicken Sauce
Stir in the cornstarch slurry until the sauce is thick, shiny, and bright red.
- 12
Pour and Serve
Pour the hot, bubbling sweet and sour sauce generously all over the crispy fish. Serve immediately before the crust gets soggy.
Cooking Tips
- Scoring the fish perfectly is an advanced knife skill. Take your time to ensure you cut deep enough for the flesh to fan out, without slicing through the skin.
- The oil must be very hot when the fish goes in so the flesh immediately sets in its fanned-out shape.
Variations
- Modern Garnish: Some chefs use diced bell peppers and shrimp in the sweet and sour sauce.
Nutrition Estimate
420 calories · 32g protein · 35g carbs · 16g fat · 2g fiber per serving
