How To Cook Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼 Suan Cai Yu)? Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼 Suan Cai Yu) is a famous home-cooked dish in Shu Kingdom (now Sichuan), and it is also a signature dish in many restaurants! The authentic Sichuan-style pickled fish is made with boiled pickled cabbage mixed with fish meat that is sweet and slightly spicy, with a hint of chili pepper. The soup is sour and spicy, and the fish fillet is thick, tender and chewy, making you want to eat it! Its rich but not greasy taste is suitable for eating in winter, and it is also very appetizing in summer. It has high nutritional value!
The traditional and authentic Sichuan style pickled fish is difficult. There are many cooking methods. The unique seasoning and unique cooking techniques are very particular. It is not easy for novices to learn. But don’t worry, the method I teach you in this article is not the same. It’s too complicated. Changing the traditional grass carp to the local ingredient seabass makes it more convenient for you to buy. The carefully designed recipe makes the method much simpler. There is no need to drizzle hot oil. The simple method ensures that everyone can learn it. Hurry up and follow along at home. Do it and see!
How To Cook Sour Pickled Fish
When making this dish, you need to buy Salted Mustard Green (Cai Chua) from the supermarket or Amazon in advance. In addition to fish, it is an essential ingredient.
Cooking Tips
The fish is the most important ingredient in this recipe. As I mentioned in my previous Delicious Spicy Grilled Fish recipe, traditionally a whole fish is used to make dishes like Pickled Mustard Fish or Red Braised Fish. The fish bones are used to make the stock. The fish fillets are thinly sliced, marinated, and cooked in a stock flavored with various herbs and seasoning. Nowadays in Asia, a skilled seafood seller can do most of the fish preparation for you. But at least in the US, it’s not that easy to find that.
Ingredients
- Perch fillet 200g
- Salted Mustard Green 150g
- Dried chili flakes 3g
- Green onion 25g
- Ginger 7g
- Coriander 8g
- Rice wine 20g
- Salt 5g
- Sugar 5g
- White pepper 2.5g
- Sichuan pepper oil 10g
- Corn flour 10g
Make Sour Pickled Fish (Suan Cai Yu) Steps
- Cut the white scallions into diagonal sections, cut the green scallions into shreds, cut the ginger into thick shreds, and cut the pickled cabbage into shreds.
- Slice the sea bass and marinate with salt and rice wine for about 5 minutes. After washing, grab the corn flour and set aside.
- Add oil to the pot and stir-fry the shredded ginger over high heat. After the shredded ginger is colored, add green onion, dried chili flakes and pickled cabbage and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add 1000c.c of water or seafood stock until fragrant. Season the cooked soup base and add white pepper, sugar, and peppercorn oil.
- Add fish and cook until the soup boils. Turn off the heat when the fish is cooked.
- Place the cooked pickled fish on a plate, sprinkle with coriander, add shredded green onions and enjoy.
Sour Pickled Fish Recipe
Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼 Suan Cai Yu)
Equipment
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Cutting Board
Materials
- 200 g Perch fillet
- 150 g Salted Mustard Green
- 3 g Dried chili flakes
- 25 g Green onion
- 7 g Ginger
- 8 g Coriander
- 20 g Rice wine
- 5 g Salt
- 5 g Sugar
- 2.5 g White pepper
- 10 g Sichuan pepper oil
- 10 g Corn flour
Instructions
- Cut the white scallions into diagonal sections, cut the green scallions into shreds, cut the ginger into thick shreds, and cut the pickled cabbage into shreds.
- Slice the sea bass and marinate with salt and rice wine for about 5 minutes. After washing, grab the corn flour and set aside.
- Add oil to the pot and stir-fry the shredded ginger over high heat. After the shredded ginger is colored, add green onion, dried chili flakes and pickled cabbage and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add 1000c.c of water or seafood stock until fragrant. Season the cooked soup base and add white pepper, sugar, and peppercorn oil.
- Add fish and cook until the soup boils. Turn off the heat when the fish is cooked.
- Place the cooked pickled fish on a plate, sprinkle with coriander, add shredded green onions and enjoy.
Notes
How To Cook Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼 Suan Cai Yu)
Hi Jess Li.
This recipe for Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼) sounds delicious and easy to follow, with a great balance of flavors. I appreciate how it simplifies the traditional method by using seabass instead of the whole fish, making it more accessible. The combination of spicy, sour, and savory ingredients with tender fish fillets is sure to create a rich, satisfying dish. It’s also nice to see helpful tips for sourcing the ingredients! Perfect for a comforting and flavorful meal.
The article “How To Cook Sour Pickled Fish (酸菜鱼 Suan Cai Yu)” dives into the process of cooking Sour Pickled Fish—yeah, the classic Sichuan dish that’s equal parts sour, spicy, and honestly, just comfort in a bowl. It’s all about fresh fish—like perch or seabass, but hey, maybe whatever’s in season works?—and this salted mustard green stuff, Cai Chua, which is kind of the secret hero. You marinate the fish (because of course you do), then there’s this whole dance of stir-frying aromatics like ginger, onions, and… magic? Anyway, it all comes together in this broth that’s not just flavorful but feels like it could solve a bad day.
So, the recipe’s basically got you doing all these steps—like marinating the fish (obviously, because flavor), then stir-frying all the usual suspects: ginger, green onions. Oh and the fish ends up so tender it’s practically falling apart. Another bonus is the dish like most Chinese food is healthy.
But here’s a thought—what if you threw in something totally random, like a splash of citrus zest for some zing or, I don’t know, kimchi or sauerkraut for a funky twist? Would it make the dish pop, or would it just ruin the whole vibe?
Given the recipe’s emphasis on fresh fish, what are some sustainable seafood alternatives that could be used without compromising the authentic texture and flavor of Suan Cai Yu?
Thank you for your comment! Suan Cai Yu is indeed a comforting, flavor-packed dish, and you’ve perfectly captured its magic. For sustainable seafood alternatives, options like tilapia or Arctic char work well—they’re mild, tender, and widely available in sustainable varieties. These options maintain the authentic texture and absorb the dish’s bold flavors beautifully.
As for your creative twists, a splash of citrus zest could enhance the dish’s brightness without overshadowing its traditional flavors. Kimchi or sauerkraut, while funky, might alter its core profile too much, but experimenting in small amounts could create an interesting fusion!
I have always wondered how to cook sour pickled fish, and this article describes everything in detail. I think the hardest thing to do for me is get the Salted Mustard Green (Cai Chua), as I have never seen this in our local stores. Maybe a Chinese shop will sell it.
Once you have all the ingredients in place, it looks like it is pretty simple to make, like a stir fry. How long does this dish keep in the fridge after it has been made?
You can buy Salted Mustard Green on Amazon. Also, don’t keep this dish in the refrigerator, make sure you finish it every time.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful and nourishing recipe! First, it reminded me that I didn’t know that the origin of this soup was quite ancient, and came from Sichuan. Also, I’ve always admired the ability of Chinese food to use all the flavors that exist to create something magnificent: sour, sweet, and even spicy flavors! I will try to reproduce at home, even if it will be quite long for me…
Thanks for sharing this recipe for Sour Pickled Fish!
It’s fascinating to see how traditional Sichuan flavours like sour, spicy, and slightly sweet come together in such a rich, balanced way.
The use of salted mustard greens and Sichuan pepper oil sounds perfect for creating that authentic depth of flavour, especially for those of us who crave the taste of Sichuan cuisine.
I’m curious, though, if we can’t find fresh perch or sea bass, are there any other fish types that you’d recommend as good substitutes for this recipe?
Looking forward to trying this soon!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled that you found the recipe intriguing. The sour, spicy, and slightly sweet flavors create that distinctive Sichuan depth.
If fresh perch or sea bass aren’t available, no worries! You could try substituting with Grass carp, silver carp, and bighead carp. These fish have a similar delicate texture and mild flavor, which work well with the bold seasonings. Just keep an eye on cooking times, as each fish varies a bit in thickness and firmness.
I hope you enjoy making and tasting this recipe! Let me know how it goes or if you experiment with any other ingredients. Happy cooking!
This recipe for Sour Pickled Fish looks incredible! I love how you’ve simplified the traditional method using sea bass instead of grass carp and skipping the hot oil drizzle makes it much more approachable. The combination of sour and spicy flavors sounds perfect for both chilly and warm days!
Also, the cooking tips are super helpful, especially about marinating the fish to enhance its texture. Can’t wait to try it out with some friends. They’re in for a treat!
I love Chinese food and often cook sweet and sour pork, but I have never tried to cook pickled fish. So I am very pleased that I came across this recipe and to see that sea bass can be used.
I am a bit worried though that you say it is complicated to cook sour pickled fish and not easy for a beginner. So is this recipe easier than the traditional way of cooking pickled fish?
In the directions you mention to “cut the white scallions into diagonal sections, cut the green scallions into shreds and cut the pickled cabbage into shreds”. But you do not have scallions or cabbage in the ingredient list, or is the salted mustard green one of them? So how much scallion does one use? Thank you for clarifying.
Thanks for your message. I live in Chengdu, Sichuan. I often make this dish on weekends. As shown in the second picture in the text, I cut the green onion leaves (the green part) into shreds and used them as a garnish after cooking. Of course, in Chengdu, many chefs use coriander instead.
Following the basic steps when you are ready to cook according to this recipe. You don’t have to follow it strictly. It is very simple to cook at home, so don’t worry. There are also many videos on YouTube for reference.