Yan Kit's Sauteed Mackerel

iChrissy has returned from both non-existence and from a 10-day vacation in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau! As there is very little to do in any of these places but eat and shop, iChrissy has taken advantage of both activities.

iChrissy, partnered with iGuy, ate their way across Singapore in a very short weekend where their wonderful hosts allowed a variety of samples of chili crab, black pepper crab, hawker favorites, and delicious kaya (coconut jam)! iGuy's resident family in Hong Kong exposed the iCouple to roasted goose, roast suckling pig, squab soup, whole abalone, and shark fin soup! Macau held a myriad of special macanese dishes such as huge stuffed prawns, African Chicken, and po tat(Portuguese custard tarts)!

Upon iChrissy's return to the US, extra suitcase in tow, her renewed spirit to recreate the Asian dishes of her recent trip has been released! The first attempted dish, from one of many new cookbooks added to iChrissy's collection, is Sauteed Whole Mackerel from "Yan Kit's Classic Chinese Cook Book".

While in Kowloon, a short ferry ride across the harbor of Hong Kong, sent the iCouple to a Shanghai Restaurant called Wu Kong that had the most delicious soup dumplings and whole roasted mackerel. Seen as how iChrissy has never made a whole fish before in her life, she figured she'd take this in baby steps and use a cookbook recipe to start.

At first, the recipe seemed startling by requiring a "shallow fry" in 8 ounces of oil, but once added to the wok, it came together easily. The whole fish was fried for 6 minutes on each side until browned and crackling, then most of the oil was drained, a pre-mixed sauce was added on top of the fish and left to continue to cook for another 3 minutes. At this point, the fish began to smell amazing and the color was exactly what iChrissy was hoping for. Shredded ginger and chopped spring onions (green onions) were added, covered and cooked a little while longer to turn out a perfect looking mackerel! Oh how proud iChrissy was!

Pre-Cooked:














Post-Cooked:
















The Conclusion:

The fish came out very good! It was perfectly cooked, moist, meaty, and full of flavor! A little oily, but it added to the fish without being heavy. The sauce was made with a blend of dark soy and light soy sauce which added depth and a very different taste quality that would not have been achieved from using just one type of soy. iChrissy will definitely make this fish again, but perhaps part of a much grander meal than just wonton soup and mackerel.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Cupcakes of Approval!