Squirrel Fish

Name: Squirrel Fish
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 mandarin fish or sea bass (about 800g); Cornflour, for coating; 4 tbsp tomato ketchup; 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp white vinegar; Peas, diced carrot and pine nuts or shrimp; Oil for deep-frying

松鼠桂鱼/song-shoo gway-YOO/

Also known as: Songshu Guiyu, Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, Sweet and Sour Squirrel Fish

About this dish

A whole fish deboned, scored into a criss-cross pattern so it fans out when deep-fried, and covered in a bright sweet and sour tomato sauce.

📍 Find the best Squirrel Fish near me

AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs

Ingredients

🐟1 mandarin fish or sea bass (about 800g)

🌽Cornflour, for coating

🍅4 tbsp tomato ketchup

🍬3 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp white vinegar

🫛Peas, diced carrot and pine nuts or shrimp

🛢️Oil for deep-frying

Method

Serves 2

Remove the backbone, keeping the head and tail joined to the two fillets.

Score the flesh deeply in a criss-cross pattern without cutting through the skin.

Coat thoroughly in cornflour, shaking so it gets into every cut.

Deep-fry, holding the tail so the flesh curls outwards, until crisp and golden.

Cook the ketchup, sugar, vinegar and vegetables into a glossy sauce and pour it over the hot fish.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

Songshu guiyu is a famous banquet dish from Suzhou; the fried fish looks like a squirrel's tail and the hot sauce makes it 'squeak'.

User Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first!

Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.

🌍 Food Vlogs

Eating and cooking it at the source

🌍

No videos yet

What To Eat

The World's Food Guide