Fish Heads with Tofu and Salted Black Beans

Fish heads especially of the sea bass are nice. They have that nice gelatinous texture esteemed by some Chinese gourmets. Also, this particular fish part normally goes to waste. But I figure maybe I can make some interesting recipe out of them. So here goes...

Ingredients:

500 g Grouper fish heads (about 2 pieces)

250 g Tofu (cut into rectangular blocks)

1 tbsp. Black Beans

1 tbsp. Oyster sauce

¼ tsp. Black pepper (ground)

2 pcs. Ginger (fresh thinly sliced)

4 pcs. Garlic (minced)

1 pc. Onion (small, cut into thin slices)

1 tbsp. Mirin

½ tsp. Chiu Chow chilli oil

3 tbsp. Premium dark soy sauce

½ cup Water

1 tsp. Cornstarch (heaping)

3 tbsp. Water (for suspending cornstarch)

1 tsp. Sesame oil

4 tbsp. Safflower oil (for frying tofu and fish)

1 tbsp. Safflower oil (for sautéing)

Cooking Procedure:

Heat oil in suitable Teflon coated frying pan. Fry tofu until all sides are golden brown. Set aside. Fry the fish head in the hot oil until browned and set aside too. In another sauce pan, heat oil and sauté the garlic and onion until garlic are golden brown and onion starts to caramelize. Add the ginger, fried tofu, and the fish. Add the water, soy sauce, black beans, Mirin and chilli oil. Simmer for approximately 15 min under low heat (Until the eyes of the fish pops out which means that it is already done just right). At this point if more saltiness is desired, salt can be added. Otherwise the natural salt from the soy and other ingredients will be just enough.

In a suitable bowl, place the cornstarch and water. Stir to ensure that cornstarch is well dispersed. Add the oyster sauce and sesame oil and mix well. Add to the fish and stir by gently swirling the contents of the pan. Cook until the starch is cooked and sauce has nice consistency. It is important not to overcook when sesame oil is already added less the flavour deteriorates. Serve with rice...