To the Chinese, a whole fish symbolizes prosperity. The fish must be served whole to symbolize plenty, and when the diners have eaten one side, they must not turn the fish over to reach the underside — that would be turning good fortune away– they must lift out the bone to reach the flesh below. This recipe comes with an easy sweet and sour ginger sauce.

Ingredients

For the fish:

• 1 whole sea bass or other fish weighing about 2-2 1/ 2 pounds
• 3 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil plus more oil for frying
• 2 scallions, chopped

For the mushroom and ginger sauce:

• 4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot bean paste or pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup pickled ginger coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Make the sauce first. You can make it a day ahead if you like, and reheat immediately before serving.

Put the mushrooms, scallions, vinegar, hot bean paste or red pepper flakes, soy sauce, pickled ginger and sugar in a saucepan with 1 cup of water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste. Stir in about 1/3 cup of the hot liquid from the pan. Off the heat, add the cornstarch mixture to mushroom-ginger mixture. Return to the heat and stir until it comes back to the boil and thickens. Set aside.

To prepare the fish, wash it inside and out, and scrape from the head towards the tail with a knife to remove any remaining scales. Make cuts about 1 1/ 2 inches apart, slashing from the skin down to the bone on both sides of the fish. Put the fish in a shallow dish. Mix the rice wine or sherry with the ginger and garlic and pour over the fish. Marinate for 30 minutes, basting with the liquid so the flavorings penetrate into the slashes. Remove the fish and pat dry. Mix the cornstarch and salt with a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 cup of water in a shallow dish. Place the fish in this mixture and turn it over so it is lightly coated.

In a large frying pan pour enough oil to come 1/2 and inch up the sides of the pan. Heat over high heat until ripply. Taking care to protect your hands with oven mitts and standing out of range of spatters, gently place the fish in the oil. Let it cook on one side for 2 minutes, then using a broad spatula or fish slice, turn it over and immediately lower the heat. Continue cooking for another 6-7 minutes, or until the flesh of the fish is white and opaque.

While the fish is cooking, reheat the mushroom-ginger sauce. As soon as the fish is ready, transfer to a warm serving dish and spoon the sauce over it. Garnish with the scallions and serve immediately.