A showpiece of Hui cuisine knife artistry: black carp is scored with a cross-hatch pattern, coated in egg batter and breadcrumbs, then deep-fried until each scored segment curls into a grape-like orb. The pieces are arranged into a grape-cluster shape on the platter and finished with a sweet-tart grape-wine sauce.
Created by Hui cuisine master Fang Naigen in Hefei in the mid-1950s. Reportedly trained in Shanghai before settling in Hefei, Fang adapted the Huaiyang 'Lychee Fish' technique of full deboning, reimagining it as a grape cluster using cross-hatch knife work with red grape juice as seasoning. In November 1983 he performed this dish at the First National Culinary Exhibition at the Great Hall of the People, earning the Technical Performance Award.
Crispy breadcrumb shell gives way to just-set fish flesh — tender and faintly sweet. The grape-wine sauce adds a fruity, gently acidic finish that cuts through the fried richness.
The cross-hatch knife cuts nearly sever the muscle fibers while leaving the skin intact. When heat denatures myosin proteins (at around 60–70°C) during frying, the severed fibers contract and pull each cut segment outward into a rounded grape-orb shape. The egg-and-breadcrumb coating insulates the flesh, keeping it at just-cooked temperature while the outer crust undergoes Maillard browning at 160–180°C.
Variations
The Harbin adaptation by chef Yao Zhenjing uses freshwater carp with sweet-and-sour sugar-vinegar sauce instead of grape juice; some modern restaurants substitute blueberry juice for a deeper purple color.
On the Palate
Where Grape Fish sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
7 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Fillet the black carp, removing all bones; trim fillets into rectangular slabs about 6–8 cm long.
- 210 min
Score the flesh side with a cross-hatch knife pattern: parallel cuts 1 cm apart down to but not through the skin, then diagonal cuts at the same interval, creating diamond-shaped segments.
Watch outCross-hatch nearly through to the skin, not past it — the cuts let each segment curl into a grape orb while the skin holds it whole.
- 320 min
Marinate scored fillets in Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper and ginger slices for 20 minutes.
- 45 min
Beat eggs with a small amount of flour to form a light batter; coat each fillet in batter, then roll in fine breadcrumbs to cover all cut surfaces evenly.
- 58 min
Heat oil to 70% hot (about 175°C); deep-fry fillets in batches for 3–4 minutes until each segment curls into a grape-orb shape and turns golden. Drain on paper.
Watch outFry at about 175 degrees until each segment curls into a rounded orb and golds — this is when the flesh sets and the crust browns.
- 65 min
In a small pan, simmer red grape juice with sugar, rice vinegar and cornstarch until a glossy, lightly thickened sauce forms.
- 75 min
Arrange the fried fish pieces on a platter in the shape of a grape cluster; spoon sauce over and garnish with grape leaves.
