1 whole fish cleaned and scaled; about one to two pounds (I used Pompano)
1 /4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup sesame oil for frying
1/4 cup peanut oil for frying
salt and finely ground Szechuan peppercorns
1/4 to 1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallion and another 1/4 c finely chopped for garnish
Szechuan Sauce;
5-6 cloves of garlic chopped
2 tbls chopped ginger
1/2 cup cooking sherry
5 small dried red chilies such as Arbol
1 tbls Sesame oil
2 tbls low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbls cornstarch
Heat the oil in a wok or sauce pan. Add the chilies, garlic, ginger and sauté vigorously until you can smell their aroma, about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the stock and cornstarch. Reduce by half. At this point you can make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with the chicken stock and adding to the sauce. Bring to a full boil to thicken. Remove from heat.
Score the fish on both sides with a knife three time across the body in one direction, and then across in the opposite to form a diamond pattern
.
Pat dry all the moisture with a paper towel. Mix the flour and cornstarch together and season with salt and a few pinches of the ground peppercorns. Transfer to a plate and dredge the fish into the flour on both sides. Heat a wok or flat pan just large enough for the fish to sit in. Heat the oil to the point a piece of bread sizzles immediately and turns brown in just a few seconds. Shake off the excess flour and carefully drop the fish in the oil away from you.
Cook until the skin gets golden brown, then carefully flip with a large spatula. Add the coarsely chopped scallions. Cook until brown on both sides and transfer to a plate covered with paper towel.
Plate the fish with the fried scallions and some white rice (I used cilantro lime rice) and spoon the sauce over the fish just before serving, making sure to get the garlic and ginger onto the fish with the sauce.