Chinese Chilled Fish in Chili Sauce

This recipe for Chilled Fish in Chili Sauce is a Chinese cold appetizer, featuring crisp and crunchy sliced fish marinated in a savory chili sauce.

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Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe for Chilled Fish in Chili Sauce is a refreshing and delicious appetizer.

It's inspired by a dish I had at Yunshang Rice Noodle recently.

Easy to make: using pre-packaged frozen sliced fish is super convenient and saves time from having to slice it yourself.

Simple: with a few pantry ingredients, you can make this delicious appetizer at home.

Delicious: the spicy soy sauce and slight tingle from the Sichuan peppercorns adds depth of flavor and the crisp texture of the fish keeps you coming back for more. 

Ingredients you'll need

• frozen sliced white fish: thawed; you can use grass carp, basa, or tilapia
• whole Sichuan peppercorns (about 1 teaspoon ground); freshly ground is preferred for the best flavor
• sesame oil: for sautéing, as well as the sauce
• garlic: minced
• soy sauce: light soy sauce
• rice vinegar: adds a little tanginess; you can use a little white vinegar or Chinese black vinegar as a substitute
• granulated sugar: adds a little sweetness
• chili oil: optional; omit if you don't like spicy
• sesame seeds
• green onion: chopped
• cilantro: chopped, optional
• Thai red chili: finely sliced, optional; omit if you don't like spicy

How to make chilled fish in chili sauce

Prepare the fish:

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.

Add sliced fish into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the sliced fish and rinse under cold water.

Transfer the cooked sliced fish to a basin or bowl filled with ice water and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, heat up a pan over medium heat and toast Sichuan peppercorn seeds, about 1-2 minutes, or until just fragrant.

Remove Sichuan peppercorns from heat. Let cool, transfer to a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.

Using the same pan, add in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and add in minced garlic, sauteing until slightly brown, about 1 minute.

Transfer the sauteed garlic to a small bowl and stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ground Sichuan peppercorn, chili oil (if using), cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds and red chili (if using). Mix well.

Assemble:

Remove the fish from the fridge, drain well and pat dry with paper towel.

Add the fish to the sauce and coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Chill until ready to serve.

Optional additions

Some other delicious additions include wood ear mushrooms, sweet potato vermicelli noodles, tofu, thinly sliced potato, or jellyfish.

If adding in these ingredients, you may need to increase the sauce accordingly.

How to serve

Serve the chilled fish as an appetizer with other cold dishes such as cucumber salad, seaweed salad, marinated jellyfish, Hainanese chicken, or sliced beef shank.

Pair the dish as a side dish along scallion oil noodles, biang biang noodles, rice noodles, or rice. 

How to store

Store the cold fish salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Do not freeze the dish, as the texture will change.

Other delicious cold appetizer recipes you may like

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Chinese Chilled Fish in Chili Sauce

This recipe for Chilled Fish in Chili Sauce is a Chinese cold appetizer, featuring crisp and crunchy sliced fish marinated in a savory chili sauce.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Chilling Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Servings: 6

Calories: 123kcal

Author: Michelle

For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

Ingredients

Main:

• 250 g frozen sliced white fish thawed

Sauce:

• 1.5 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns about 1 teaspoon ground
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil for sautéing
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili oil optional
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoon chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 Thai red chili finely sliced, optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare the fish:

• Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.
• Add sliced fish into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the sliced fish and rinse under cold water.
• Transfer the cooked sliced fish to a basin or bowl filled with ice water and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Make the sauce:

• In a small saucepan, heat up a pan over medium heat and toast Sichuan peppercorn seeds, about 1-2 minutes, or until just fragrant.
• Remove Sichuan peppercorns from heat. Let cool, transfer to a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.
• Using the same pan, add in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and add in minced garlic, sauteing until slightly brown, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the sauteed garlic to a small bowl and stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ground Sichuan peppercorn, chili oil (if using), cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds and red chili (if using). Mix well.

Assemble:

• Remove the fish from the fridge, drain well and pat dry with paper towel.
• Add the fish to the sauce and coat thoroughly with the sauce.
• Chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

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