Chinese Yellow Drum (Frozen)

⚠️ Please read before ordering: this fish is sold whole and completely unprocessed — scales on, gills in, guts in, nothing trimmed. You will need to scale, gut and clean it yourself before cooking. That is how it arrives from the boat and it is not a fault, so we cannot accept returns on it. If you would rather not do that work, please ask our counter staff to clean it for you, or choose one of our cleaned fish instead.

Wild caught yellow drum, Product of China — a firm, white-fleshed table fish that has been a staple of coastal home cooking for generations. Caught, graded and frozen at sea, so it reaches you in the condition it left the water in.

The flesh is white, firm and comes away from the bone in clean flakes. The flavour is mild and gently sweet — lighter than large yellow croaker, which makes it the everyday fish rather than the banquet one, and a good deal better value for a family meal.

🐟 Why Choose Yellow Drum?

• Firm white flesh: holds together in the pan and in the steamer, so it does not fall apart.
• Clean, mild flavour: takes soy, ginger and spring onion without fighting them.
• Easy bones: a single frame and large bones, straightforward to eat.
• Frozen at sea: no long chilled transit, so the texture stays tight.
• Everyday value: the flavour of a classic table fish without the large yellow croaker price.

🔪 Cleaning it — please do this first

• Thaw first (see below), then scrape the scales off from tail to head under running water.
• Open the belly, remove all the guts, and pull out the gills.
• Scrape away the black membrane lining the belly cavity — leaving it in is what makes a fish taste bitter and muddy.
• Rinse the cavity thoroughly and pat dry inside and out before cooking.

🔥 Cooking Methods

• Steamed with ginger and spring onion: 8–10 minutes over high heat, then hot oil and light soy over the top. Lets the sweetness through.
• Braised in soy: pan fry both sides first, then braise with soy, sugar, ginger and garlic until the sauce thickens.
• Pan fried: score the sides, dry well, fry in hot oil until the skin is crisp. Salt and pepper only.
• Salt baked or oven roasted: stuffed with spring onion and ginger, roasted whole.
• Fish soup: fry first for colour, then simmer with tofu and white pepper until the broth turns milky.

Thawing:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator (0-4°C). Never thaw in hot water or a microwave — it wrecks the texture.

Storage:
Keep frozen at -18°C. Once thawed, clean and cook within 1 day and do not refreeze.

Origin:
Product of China.

Allergen Note:
Contains fish.

Sold by weight — you pay a deposit at the top of the weight range and we refund the difference once your fish is weighed. Order now.