A whole carp, scored deep, fried crisp with its head and tail curled up, and doused at the table in a hot, glossy sweet-and-sour sauce.
What makes it sweet and sour yellow river carp
A whole carp, scored to the bone so it opens like a fan when fried.
Fried holding head and tail so it sets curved upwards.
A sauce of sugar, vinegar and a little soy, poured over hot at the end.
Where it comes from
The Yellow River runs just north of Jinan, and its golden, red-tailed carp were long counted among the best river fish in China. Fried with head and tail raised, the fish is said to be leaping the Dragon Gate — the carp of legend that jumps the falls and becomes a dragon — which makes it a dish for banquets and for wishing someone well.
The sauce is poured on sizzling hot, so it crackles as it lands.
How it varies
Squirrel fish
A Suzhou cousin, the fish boned and cut to bristle like a squirrel's tail.