Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce

普寧豆醬煮䱽魚

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — finished dish

Total time: 35 min
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Pomfret is browned, then briefly cooked with Puning fermented bean sauce, ginger and Chinese celery for tender fish in a savoury sauce.

01

Ingredients

Main ingredients

700 g pomfret
20 g ginger
40 g Chinese celery
180 ml water

Fish preparation

0.25 tsp salt

Cooking oil

1.5 tbsp cooking oil

Sauce seasoning

2 tbsp Puning fermented bean sauce
0.5 tsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — ingredients

02

Tools

lidded frying pan
chef's knife
cutting board
small bowl
spatula
measuring spoons

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — tools

03

Steps

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Clean the pomfret

Step 1

Clean the pomfret

Scale, gut and remove the gills, then rinse away all blood from the cavity.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Dry and score

Step 2

Dry and score

Pat the fish completely dry and make two shallow cuts on each side.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Season the fish

Step 3

Season the fish

Rub 0.25 tsp salt evenly inside and outside; rest for 10 minutes.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Prepare aromatics

Step 4

Prepare aromatics

Shred the ginger and cut washed Chinese celery into 4 cm lengths.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Mix the bean sauce

Step 5

Mix the bean sauce

Combine Puning bean sauce, sugar, rice wine and 180 ml water in a small bowl.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Heat the pan

Step 6

Heat the pan

Heat the frying pan over medium heat, add 1.5 tbsp oil and coat the base.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Fry the first side

Step 7

Fry the first side

Add the pomfret and fry about 3 minutes until the underside is golden and set.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Turn and brown

Step 8

Turn and brown

Turn carefully and fry 2 minutes until the second side is lightly golden.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Add the ginger

Step 9

Add the ginger

Add shredded ginger beside the fish and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Add the sauce

Step 10

Add the sauce

Pour the bean-sauce mixture around the pan edge and bring to a gentle simmer.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Cover and cook through

Step 11

Cover and cook through

Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the thickest flesh is opaque, flakes easily and reaches 63°C.

Teochew Pomfret with Puning Fermented Bean Sauce — Add celery and serve

Step 12

Add celery and serve

Add Chinese celery for 30 seconds, then carefully transfer fish and sauce to a plate.

Common mistakes

Wet fish causes oil to spit and prevents browning.
Turning before the crust sets tears the skin.
Extra salt can overpower the naturally salty bean sauce.
Rough handling after cooking breaks the tender fish.

Tips

Puning bean sauce varies in salinity, so taste the mixed sauce first; stop cooking when the thickest flesh reaches 63°C and flakes easily.