The appeal is skin that shatters when you bite into it and springy fish paste underneath. The difficulty is scraping out the flesh while leaving the head and skin whole.
The filling has to be worked hard until it comes together, then rested for 20 minutes, which is what makes the paste inside springy. Spread it back into the skin with a spoon and close the skin over it. Heat the oil first, then slide the fish in and fry over medium heat so the skin browns evenly.
This batch weighs about 1.3kg, at roughly 153 calories per 100g.
Method
Scale the 2 fish weighing 1kg, wash them with 3 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt, and cut off the gills.
Split each fish open and scrape out the flesh, discarding the backbone and pin bones while keeping the head and skin intact.
Mix the scraped fish with 100g raw pork paste, 50g ground pork, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 3 minced shallots, 2 chopped spring onions, 1 teaspoon fried shallots, 1 teaspoon fried garlic and 2 tablespoons oyster sauce.
Work the mixture hard until it turns springy, then rest it for 20 minutes.
Open out the fish skin, spread the filling in evenly with a spoon, close the skin over it and do the same with the second fish.
Heat 100ml cooking oil and fry the fish over medium heat until golden with crisp skin.
Tips
Working the filling hard is what makes the paste inside springy.
Fifteen minutes in lightly salted water or rice washing water clears the muddiness before the flesh is scraped out.
Medium heat keeps the skin from burning before the filling is cooked through.
Scrape the flesh out with a spoon, working along the grain, as a heavy hand tears the skin and there is no patching it.
Fish drained completely before it meets the pan keeps the oil from spattering.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.