Mmmm... "red-cooked" tilapia

"Red-Cooked" Tilapia

a fresh tilapia, about a pound and a half
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup water
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3-4 slices of ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic, cracked with the flat of your knife but not chopped
1 tbsp sugar
a splash of cooking wine
3 tbsp oil

I'm so happy to have found several sources for fresh tilapia in New York. In the city, there's the Chinese supermarket on Elizabeth (near Hester). Both of the big stores on Main Street in Flushing have it as well. I emphatically cannot guarantee any worthwhile results with frozen fish - my mom attempted to make this dish with a frozen tilapia from Whole Foods once, and it tasted terrible and stunk up my apartment to boot.

The fishmonger should have cleaned and scaled the fish for you. Give it a quick rinse and blot, and go over it with an angled paring knife to catch any scales they might have missed.

In a large skillet or wok, heat up a few tablespoons of cooking oil. When it's nice and hot, give the scallions, garlic and ginger a quick toast. Slide the fish in. Dissolve the sugar in the soy sauce, and add it, the water and a splash of cooking wine to the pan.

It takes about 10 min per side on medium heat (so the liquid's bubbling gently). Use two spatulas to turn it - very carefully, so it doesn't fall apart - halfway through cooking. Decant the whole thing onto a large platter, deep enough to hold all the sauce. You can't eat the ginger but the scallions and garlic are quite tasty so pile them on top.

If you have any leftovers, cover and refrigerate. The next day, you will notice the sauce is jellied - that's the natural gelatin from the bones in the fish. To revive it, pour some Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic is a fair substitute) over the whole thing and eat at room temperature. I actually like it this way so much that I usually try to talk my mom into cooking an extra fish to set aside for this express purpose.

Enjoy!