Squirrel Mandarin Fish (松鼠桂鱼)

中文简介

松鼠桂鱼是江苏苏州的传统名菜、苏帮菜的代表，也是淮扬菜系中最具观赏性的一道。桂鱼（鳜鱼）去骨后，在鱼肉上剞出菱形花刀（十字交叉的细密刀纹），拍粉下油锅炸至金黄，鱼肉受热翻卷、粒粒竖起，形如松鼠的尾巴，故得名。上桌时浇上滚烫的糖醋汁，滋滋作响。成菜外酥里嫩，酸甜适口，造型栩栩如生。这道菜极其考验刀工——刀纹深浅、间距必须均匀，鱼身才炸得开。"乾隆下江南"的传说也为其增添了不少名头。松鹤楼是苏州做此菜的百年名店。

English

Squirrel mandarin fish (松鼠桂鱼, Sōngshǔ guìyú) is Suzhou's culinary showpiece — a dish that is as much about theater as taste. A mandarin fish is deboned, then the flesh is scored in a diamond crosshatch pattern so fine it looks like lace. Dredged in starch and lowered into hot oil, the scored flesh blooms open into bristling golden spikes that curl like a squirrel's tail — hence the name. At the table, a ladle of bubbling hot sweet-and-sour sauce is poured over the sizzling fish, and the whole thing arrives crackling, crisp outside and impossibly tender within. The knife work is the real star: uneven cuts and the "tail" won't bloom.

Where to eat: Songhelou (松鹤楼) in Suzhou has been making it for over 250 years; most upscale Huaiyang restaurants do a solid version. ¥158–268 ($22–38).

Pro tips: This is a whole-fish dish — bring a group or resign yourself to serious eating. The sweet-sour is fruity and bright, not cloying. Ask for it with the sauce on the side if you like your fish extra crisp.