Sichuan Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish

Gather the ingredients.

Cut off the fins of each fish with kitchen shears or scissors. Remove the gills of the fish if they are still attached by cutting them out with the kitchen shears. Make 3 vertical slices along each side of the fish evenly spaced along its length. If you have a long fish, make 4 slices. Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry.

Mix the 3 chopped green onions, the 1-inch piece of finely chopped ginger, the tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, the tablespoon of soy sauce and the black pepper together, then pour the mixture into a glass or plastic container, or a Ziploc bag. Place the fish in the container and make sure the marinade surrounds the fish.

Let this sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Julienne the 3-inch piece of ginger. (Keep in mind 3 inches is a guideline so that the ginger can be a bit larger or smaller.) Cut the ginger into a rectangle, then slice it into thin rectangles about 1/8-inch thick. Then slice these thin rectangles into very thin strips.

Slice the 1/2 onion into very thin half-moons.

Slice the garlic cloves as thinly as you can along the long side of the clove to make long pieces.

Finely chop habanero chiles.

Pour the oil into a wok and turn the heat on to medium. If you do not have a wok, use the largest, deepest skillet you have. A wok really matters here, though, as its shape prevents the tail fin from burning to charcoal.

Mix the tomato sauce sugar, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, water, and cornstarch and stir vigorously to combine. Set it aside.

Take the fish out of the fridge.

Check the oil temperature. You want it to be about 300 F to 325 F. If you do not have a thermometer, the oil is ready when a drop of water tossed into the oil boils away immediately.

Remove the fish from the marinade and dredge in flour. Shake off excess, and when the oil is at hot, slip the fish one at a time into the oil. You are probably going to have to cook one fish at a time. If so, turn the oven on to "warm."

Fry the fish for at least 5 minutes per side. You want it to be golden brown. With 300 F oil, fry a 1-pound fish for 8 minutes on the first side, 5 minutes on the other side. Larger fish will need more time.

When the first fish is done, remove it to a plate and put the plate in the warm oven. Fry the second fish the same way as the first.

When the fish are done, ladle out all but about 1/4 cup of oil. Toss in the slivered ginger, the onion, the chiles, and the slivered garlic and stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the sweet-and-sour sauce and stir well to combine. Bring this to a rapid boil and stir well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, pour some sauce on a plate, place the fish on top of it and garnish with the finely chopped chives and cilantro. This dish goes best with simple steamed white rice.

Enjoy.