Sichuan Boiled Fish in Chili Oil (Shui Zhu Yu)
Silky fish fillets gently poached in a spiced broth, piled over crunchy vegetables and buried under toasted chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, then doused with smoking-hot oil at the table so the whole dish crackles and perfumes the room.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Slice and velvet the fish
Cut the fish across the grain into slices about half a centimetre thick, cutting at a slight angle so each piece is wide and even. Toss the slices with the egg white, cornstarch, , salt and white pepper, coating each piece well, then let it rest. This coating is what keeps the fish silky and intact instead of falling apart in the hot broth.
- 500 g fish fillets
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
✅ Done when: the fish has rested at least 15 minutes and looks lightly glossy and coated
Build the vegetable bed
Heat 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the bean sprouts, napa cabbage and celery for 3–4 minutes, just until they wilt slightly but still have crunch. Spread them over the bottom of a large heatproof serving bowl; this bed will catch the broth and keep the fish from sitting in a puddle.
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 200 g mung bean sprouts
- 150 g napa cabbage
- 2 celery stalks
✅ Done when: the vegetables are bright, slightly softened, still crisp
Make the spicy broth
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Poach the fish gently
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Assemble in the bowl
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Scatter and sizzle
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Garnish and serve
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Slice and velvet the fish
Cut the fish across the grain into slices about half a centimetre thick, cutting at a slight angle so each piece is wide and even. Toss the slices with the egg white, cornstarch, , salt and white pepper, coating each piece well, then let it rest. This coating is what keeps the fish silky and intact instead of falling apart in the hot broth.
- 500 g fish fillets
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
✅ Done when: the fish has rested at least 15 minutes and looks lightly glossy and coated
Build the vegetable bed
Heat 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the bean sprouts, napa cabbage and celery for 3–4 minutes, just until they wilt slightly but still have crunch. Spread them over the bottom of a large heatproof serving bowl; this bed will catch the broth and keep the fish from sitting in a puddle.
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 200 g mung bean sprouts
- 150 g napa cabbage
- 2 celery stalks
✅ Done when: the vegetables are bright, slightly softened, still crisp
Make the spicy broth
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Poach the fish gently
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Assemble in the bowl
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Scatter and sizzle
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Garnish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Shui Zhu Yu grew out of an older Sichuan technique called shui zhu, long used by workers at the salt wells of Zigong who needed hearty, warming food that could be cooked quickly near the fires that boiled the brine. Local fish was simmered directly in a spiced broth rather than fried, and the chilies and peppercorns that flavored it were simply what was cheap and plentiful in the region.
The name literally means 'water-boiled fish,' pointing to the method rather than a sauce: the fish is cooked straight in the liquid, not fried first, which set it apart from many other chili-laden Sichuan dishes. From these humble salt-town kitchens, the dish eventually spread to restaurants across Sichuan and then the rest of China.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It delivers the full Sichuan sensation of málà, the tingling numbness of the peppercorns layered against the fire of the chilies, dramatized by the sizzling pour of hot oil at the table.
💡 Fun Fact
Earlier versions of this cooking method were often made with pork or beef in the salt-well kitchens; the fish version became the dish's signature and gave it its name, 'yu'.
Zigong, Sichuan Province
29.34°N, 104.78°E
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