Five-Spice Smoked Ribbon Fish

Remove the head and tail of the ribbonfish, cut off the fins, and clean out the internal organs; especially the blood under the thin membrane in the fish belly, which must be thoroughly washed, as that is the sourest; the white fish scales should be retained, as they are very nutritious and not too fishy; cut into sections, add cooking wine and ginger and scallions, and marinate for more than 30 minutes;

While marinating the fish, prepare the marinade: put soy sauce, Huadiao wine, sugar, salt, and five-spice powder into a bowl, and stir evenly to make a seasoning sauce for later use;

Shred the green onions and ginger and set aside.

Heat a wok, add a small amount of peanut oil, and sauté the scallions and ginger until fragrant; pour in the seasoning sauce and bring it to a boil;

Add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil again, and simmer for about 5 minutes;

Add cooking wine; turn off the heat. Pour into a bowl and set aside;

Take the marinated ribbon fish and evenly coat it with a layer of dry powder (either flour or starch will do), then shake off the excess powder.

Heat oil in a pan, and when the oil is 60-70% hot, add the hairtail fish and fry until the surface is golden.

Use kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

While still hot, put it into the marinade and marinate for 20 minutes, then it can be eaten.

Of course, the longer it is marinated, the more flavorful it becomes. Make a bit more and put it in the fridge to eat slowly.