Whole Ribbon Fish (Frozen)

Whole ribbon fish — also called hairtail or beltfish — wild caught on deep-water grounds in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the long, flat, bright silver fish that looks like a sword blade, and it is one of the great everyday fish of Chinese home cooking.

The flesh is fine and tender with a moderate fat content that makes it forgiving in a hot pan, and the bone structure is unusually simple: one central spine with straight side bones, which means a child can eat it without much supervision. Snap frozen below -18°C whole, with the body intact and undamaged.

Why Choose Whole Ribbon Fish?

• Buy it whole, cut it your way: segments for frying, longer pieces for braising, the tail for deep frying.
• Bright silver, unbroken: selected with the skin intact, which is a good indicator of careful handling.
• Fine, tender flesh: moderate oil content, so it stays moist and takes a hard fry well.
• Simple bones: an easy fish to eat off the bone.
• Snap frozen: frozen below -18°C to hold quality.
• Great value: a fish that eats far above its price.

Cooking Methods:

• Pan fried: cut into segments, dust with cornflour, fry hard until both sides are golden. The definitive way to cook it.
• Braised (hongshao): fried first, then braised in soy, sugar, ginger and rice wine until glazed.
• Steamed: with ginger, spring onion and rice wine for a lighter version.
• Salt grilled: Korean style, salted and grilled until the skin crisps.
• Deep fried tail pieces: battered and fried crisp — the best part, and traditionally the cook's share.

Preparation:
Cut into 6-8cm segments. Trim the thin fin along the back with scissors if you like, then pat completely dry — ribbon fish sticks and tears in a pan that is not hot enough.

A Note On The Skin:
The silver layer is edible and carries a lot of the flavour. Do not scrape it off.

Storage:
Keep frozen at -18°C. Thaw in the refrigerator, use within 1-2 days and do not refreeze.

A whole fish that fries up beautifully. Order now.