A delicious Perilla-Braised Fish recipe.
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| Ingredient | Amount | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| sea bass | 1 | ||
| perilla leaves | 1 | ||
| ginger | 1 | ||
| scallions | 2 | ||
| garlic | 4 | ||
| green chilies | 3 | ||
| bird's eye chili | 1 | ||
| oyster sauce | 1 | ||
| light soy sauce | 1 | ||
| salt and oil | as needed |
A delicious Perilla-Braised Fish recipe.

Prepare all the ingredients. You can get a large handful of perilla for very little money, and this variety is especially fragrant.

Scale and clean the sea bass. Make a few slashes on both sides, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and rub evenly to marinate briefly.

Divide the perilla into two portions for layered flavor. One portion — keep the leaves whole or roughly cut; the other portion — finely chop.

Slice the green and red chilies into rings. Cut the ginger into julienne strips, smash the garlic, and separate the scallion whites from the greens.

Heat the wok until hot, then add oil and place the fish in. A hot wok with cold oil helps prevent sticking. Pan-fry over medium-low heat without moving the fish. After about 3 minutes, once one side is set, gently shake the wok to distribute the heat evenly, and fry until golden.

Once one side is golden, flip and continue frying over medium-low heat until golden on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Leave the residual oil in the wok. Add the ginger, scallion whites, and garlic. Sauté over low heat until fragrant.

Pour in a bowl of water. Add 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

Place the fried fish into the sauce. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.

Add the chili rings and the whole perilla leaves. Cover again and continue simmering over medium-low heat for another 3 minutes.

Scatter the scallion greens and chopped perilla over the top. Cover and cook over high heat for about 1½ minutes, then it’s done.

The sauce should have reduced nicely. You can also add a bit more water at the start so the fish soaks in more of the flavorful sauce at the end.