Tin-Foil Grilled Fish

锡纸烤鱼

Tin-Foil Grilled Fish — Home-styleChengdu home cooking.

Ingredients

• whole tilapia
• ginger
• light soy sauce
• sesame oil

Instructions

1. Rinse fish under cold water, pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Score both sides of the fish three times diagonally with a sharp knife. (Fish surface appears matte and slightly tacky, not wet or shiny.)
2. Rub fish inside and out with half the ginger juliennes and 1 tsp light soy sauce. Let marinate 10 minutes at room temperature. (Ginger threads cling lightly to moist fish surface.)
3. Lay two overlapping 45-cm sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Place fish centered on foil. Top with remaining ginger, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, and sesame oil. (Foil lies flat with no wrinkles under fish weight.)
4. Seal foil tightly into a sealed packet, leaving 2 cm air space above fish. Place on cold oven rack. (Packet swells gently like a soft pillow when heated.)
5. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 18–20 minutes. Carefully open foil: steam should rush out, fish flesh should flake easily with a fork, and center should reach 63°C (145°F). Rest 3 minutes before serving. (Steam billows white and thick; flesh separates cleanly into large flakes.)