Anchovy Fry Stir-Fried with Peanuts 丁香鱼炒花生

Anchovy Fry Stir-Fried with Peanuts (丁香鱼炒花生) is the Penghu (澎湖) islands' dish of small dried dingxiang fish (丁香魚) stir-fried with peanuts. A text by the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration (澎湖國家風景區管理處) notes that most restaurants in Penghu serve it as an appetiser, and the Penghu-born writer Lü Wanlin (呂宛霖) calls it the most everyday way of cooking the fish in Penghu homes.

Where it comes from

The scenic area administration explains that mature female dingxiang fish return in the third lunar month to spawn in the northern sea of Penghu, with its broad coral-reef shallows and abundant algae, so May to September is the main season. Fishing for them is banned each May to protect the stock. Boats fish through summer nights and have a stove on board: the catch is blanched as soon as it is landed on deck, cooled in bamboo baskets, and after the boats return at dawn it is sold or dried in the sun. The fish is graded by length as cun ding (寸丁, about 3 cm), zhong ding (中丁, about 5 cm) and da ding (大丁, about 7 cm). Lü Wanlin calls the silvery fish the pride of Chikan village (赤崁村) in Baisha township (白沙鄉).

How it is made

In the home version Lü Wanlin describes in the magazine Xiangjian Xiaolu (鄉間小路, 'Country Road'), peanuts in their skins are dry-roasted slowly over a low flame until the skins turn from pale red to deep ochre. The dried fish are stir-fried slowly in a little oil until all their moisture is driven out and each fish is golden and crisp. Garlic slices and red chilli go in next, and only at the last moment the roasted peanuts and a small spoon of white sugar, which softens the saltiness of the fish. The dish is served at once, before the peanuts soften.

How it is eaten

The fish and peanuts crunch together, and Lü describes the dish with fresh garlic shoots as the perfect snack to eat with drinks.