Tender Tofu and Sea Bass Clay Pot

Tender Tofu and Sea Bass Clay Pot

Ingredients

• 1 (about 400g) sea bass
• 1 small piece (about 100g) tofu
• half small onion
• 1 bird's eye chili
• 3 slices ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 scallions
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• half tbsp oyster sauce
• a little salt
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• a little pepper
• about 8 Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1. Scale, gut, and clean the sea bass. Split it in half lengthwise and cut off the head.
2. Cut the head and body into strips or chunks and place in a bowl.
3. Add 1 tbsp cooking wine, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, a little salt, 0.5 tbsp oyster sauce, a little pepper, julienned ginger, and scallion segments. Mix well and marinate for 20-30 minutes. The spoon referenced is a small soup spoon. Adjust salt according to the size of your fish and personal taste.
4. While the fish marinates, prepare the garlic and ginger, cut the half onion into chunks, and slice the tofu.
5. Heat some oil in a pan and pan-fry the tofu until lightly golden on both sides. Remove and set aside. Don't over-fry — just a light golden color is enough.
6. In the same pan (add a bit more oil if needed), sauté the garlic, ginger, bird's eye chili, and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant.
7. Add the onion and stir-fry briefly, then turn off the heat. Pepper, cooking wine, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and onion all help remove fishiness — don't skip them.
8. Transfer everything from the wok into a small clay pot and spread evenly.
9. Layer the pan-fried tofu on top of the onion. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt on the tofu so it absorbs flavor.
10. Finally, pour in the marinated fish along with the marinade. Spread evenly and remove the scallion pieces used for marinating.
11. Pour 1/3 small bowl of boiling water along the edge of the pot. The bowl is a standard rice bowl.
12. Cover, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Adjust time based on the amount of ingredients.
13. Finally, scatter scallion segments on top, cover, and let steam for about 10 seconds before serving.
14. Fresh, fragrant, and silky smooth — the whole family loves it. Give it a try!
15. The fish I buy is usually around 400g — 10 minutes on the lowest heat after boiling works perfectly.