Braised Whole Fish in Hot-and-Sour Sauce

• One 3- to 5-pound grouper, red snapper, carp, or sea bass, gilled, gutted, and scaled, head may be on or off
• 1 cup fish or chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 161 or 160), or water
• 4 fresh or dried shiitake (black) mushrooms
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
• Flour for dredging
• Salt to taste
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
• 2 or 3 dried red chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (page 207)
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice or white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• Minced scallion and chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Make 3 shallow cuts, from top to bottom, on each side of the fish.
2. If youre using dried mushrooms, heat the stock or water and soak the mushrooms in it.
3. Put the 1/2 cup oil in a nonstick skillet that will accommodate the fish and place over high heat.
4. A few minutes later, when the oil is hota pinch of flour will sizzledredge the fish heavily on both sides in the flour, then gently lower it into the oil.
5. Cook, sprinkling with salt, until golden brown on both sides, turning just once and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent scorching.
6. Transfer the fish to a platter and pour off the oil from the skillet.
7. Return it to the stove over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
8. Drain the mushrooms if dried (reserving the stock) and slice them thinly, discarding their stems.
9. Add them to the skillet along with the onion and turn the heat to high.
10. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
11. Add the garlic, ginger, chiles, and black beans and cook, stirring, for another minute.
12. Add the wine, soy sauce, vinegar, and stock.
13. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and return the fish to the pan.
14. Cover and cook gently until the fish is cooked through (peek into one of the slashes; the meat should be opaque clear to the bone), about 15 minutes.
15. Use a pair of spatulas to gently move the fish to a platter.
16. If the mixture is very soupy, turn the heat to high and reduce it until thick, stirring occasionally (if its not, proceed).
17. Spoon the sauce over and around the fish, then drizzle with the sesame oil and garnish with the scallion and cilantro.
18. Omit the chiles or not, as you like.
19. After adding the liquids in step 3, stir in 1/2 cup honey or sugar and cook until it dissolves.
20. Proceed as directed.
21. Omit the onion, chiles, black beans, and vinegar.
22. Add 1/4 cup bamboo shoots, sliced, with the mushrooms to the skillet in step 3.
23. Proceed as directed.

grouper, fish, shiitake, peanut, flour, salt, onion, garlic, ginger, red chiles, black beans, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, rice, dark sesame oil, scallion

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/braised-whole-fish-in-hot-and-sour-sauce-386328 (may not work)