When it comes to ribbon fish, as one of the traditional Chinese New Year dishes, it is an indispensable delicacy on the Chinese New Year's Eve table. Its fresh taste and unique shape are deeply loved by the majority of people, and have become a popular choice for family dinners during the Spring Festival. However, there are some people who are concerned about the fishy smell of hairtail. But in fact, as long as we master a few small skills, we can effectively suppress the fishy smell caused when we fry hairtail. Among them, the process of breading and frying is crucial.
First of all, we need to understand the fishy smell of hairtail**. The meat of hairtail contains a substance called trimethylamine, which combines with acids at high temperatures to produce a compound with a special odor. Therefore, in the process of making hairtail, we try to reduce the formation of this compound.
Secondly, breading is a crucial step in making crispy hairtail. Starch becomes a crucial factor when choosing a flouring material. Compared with flour, starch particles are coarser and easier to adsorb on the surface of the hairtail, forming a solid protective layer. Flour particles are finer, so they tend to spread out when frying, affecting the shape of the hairtail. Therefore, starch should be preferred when it comes to breading.
The specific breading steps are as follows: First, wash the hairtail and thoroughly remove the internal organs and scales, which is the first step to reduce the fishy smell. The hairtail is then cut into even pieces and marinated for 15 minutes with salt, cooking wine, and ginger slices to further remove the fishy smell. Next, the marinated hairtail is first coated with a layer of egg wash and then a layer of starch. The purpose of this is to ensure that the starch adheres evenly to the surface of the hairtail, creating a solid protective layer.
The final step is deep frying, and the temperature and time of this step have a great impact on the texture and taste of the hairtail. Generally speaking, we should keep the oil temperature between 160-180 and fry the hairtail in a pan until golden brown. If the oil temperature is too high, it will easily cause the surface of the hairtail to burn, while if the oil temperature is too low, it will be difficult to fry the hairtail thoroughly. The hairtail that has been fried until golden brown is basically cooked and can be removed for later use. In order to add a crispy texture to the hairtail, we can raise the oil temperature to about 200 degrees and fry the hairtail again in the oil pan. This makes the surface of the hairtail crispier and richer in texture. At the same time, re-frying also helps to further remove the fishy smell of the hairtail, making the taste more pure.
In the process of making fried hairtail, there are a few tips to make this dish even more delicious. For example, when marinating hairtail, you can add some spices such as green onions, ginger and garlic to add the flavor of hairtail. Adding some spices or seasonings while frying can make the hairtail taste richer. During the whole production process, the addition of appropriate seasonings such as sugar or vinegar helps to neutralize the fishy smell of the hairtail and make the taste more fresh.
To sum up, making a delicious fried hairtail requires us to master certain skills and methods. As long as we pay attention to the operation details and precautions in the process of cleaning, breading, frying and other links, we can make fried hairtail with a crispy flavor and rich taste. Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you cook a more delicious dish with fish at the Chinese New Year's Eve table!