When I went to the vegetable market, I saw that the hairtail was sold on a sign, and the price was quite affordable, 23 yuan per catty. I picked the medium-sized hairtail, the meat is delicious and fragrant, tender, and nutritious, rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron and other minerals. In the past, hairtail was usually concocted, and most of it was fried or fried. But now we have a new trick - five-spice crispy hairtail, even fish bones can be chewed, not afraid of getting stuck in the throat at all, and it tastes the same as the canned spiced fish sold in the supermarket.
The first thing to do is to pick a medium-sized one, which is too thin and feels that the meat is not enough to stuff the teeth, and it is too fat and easy to get tired. The medium size is just right, and you have to pinch it with your hands when marinating, and if the meat can bounce back after pinching, it is fresh.
After the hairtail is picked, first cut off five centimeters from the tail of the hairtail, and then tear from the tail to the end of the head, and the fins can be torn off at once, so as not to move the knife and scissors to cut around. After the fins are processed, cut off the head of the hairtail, then prepare a basin of cold water, add 5 grams of baking soda to it, and soak the whole body of the hairtail for about 10 minutes.
After soaking the hairtail, find a scouring pad dipped in baking soda and gently rub the hairtail fish, and the silver scales on the fish are almost gone. The fish scales have a fishy smell, and going to it can make the hairtail more fragrant. Then use small scissors to cut the belly of the hairtail from head to tail, clean up the internal organs, and then gently stroke along the fish bones, you will find a dark black blood, that is, the blood near the fish bones.
After the scales, fins, internal organs, and bones of the fish have been processed, it is time to cut off the hairtail. The length of each section is 8 to 10 cm. Once cut, the hairtail is ready to be marinated. When preparing the marinade, take some green onions and ginger and pat them with the back of a knife to spread them out, which will make it easier to release the flavor. Cut it into small pieces, sprinkle with a little white pepper, add some cooking wine, and finally a spoonful of light soy sauce. The light soy sauce is light in color, and one spoonful is enough to make the hairtail more bright after it is fried. It takes about 20 minutes to marinate the hairtail.
Then it's time to prepare the cornstarch and roll each piece of hairtail so that it is evenly coated with starch. After wrapping it, set it aside to allow the starch to regain moisture slightly, and after about five minutes, gently pick it up with chopsticks and shake off the dry starch that has not yet absorbed moisture. If there is too much starch, it is easy to make the bottom of the pot batter when the hairtail is put into the pot, and some people stew the hairtail directly, so that the cooked hairtail is easy to break. Therefore, frying first can set the shape well.
Put the hairtail in a saucepan with the right oil temperature, and the oil in the pan should not be too much, not more than half the amount of hairtail. Fry golden brown on one side and turn over the other, and both sides are fried to get out of the pan. Cornstarch gives hairtail the right shape and doesn't stick to the pan as easily as sweet potatoes or potato starch.
Frying the hairtail is a key step in the success of the five-spice crispy hairtail. After frying, you can find that the hairtail is quite crispy on both sides, which is not only convenient for setting, but also basically disappears after frying, and the rest is all the deliciousness of the hairtail. Take out the fried hairtail and set aside, wash the pot, and pour the oil directly because of the fishy smell.
After adding new oil, add green onions, ginger and garlic to fry the aroma, and then add Sichuan pepper, star anise and dried chili peppers to release the fragrance completely. Then pour in 50 grams of rice vinegar, stir-fry in oil to cook sour, leaving a fragrance, so that the taste of the crispy fish will be on the next level, and the rice vinegar can also make the hairtail bones crispy quickly.
After putting in the hairtail, add light soy sauce, braised soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, a spoonful of Pixian bean paste and soybean paste, a little white pepper, two spoons of sugar, a spoonful of salt, and add enough boiling water to cover the hairtail fish for three centimeters, a little more water, and simmer slowly over low heat to make the fish bones completely crispy. Remember to simmer slowly, high heat will destroy the structure of the fish.
If it is a regular wok, it needs to simmer for about three hours; If using a pressure cooker, 25 minutes is sufficient. Don't be in a hurry to take it out after simmering, let the hairtail soak in the soup, thoroughly absorb the juice, and then take it out until it is completely cool, so that the shape and taste of the hairtail are better, the color is ruddy, and the taste is rich and soft.
If you do more than one time like me, you can choose canned bottles, close the lid and steam in a steamer over high heat for 20 minutes, then turn the can upside down and close the lid until it is completely cool. The canned food made in this way can be stored for about half a year.
Next time, if you want to make some spiced hairtail as a side dish, you might as well try this method, and prepare to make more and save it, so that it will be more convenient to eat next time. If you have a better idea, please feel free to leave a comment to share. That's all for today's sharing of spiced crispy hairtail, thank you for reading, and look forward to seeing you next time.