🍽️ Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish

Fried mandarin fish with sweet-sour sauce.

Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish is the most theatrical classic of Suzhou's Huaiyang cuisine, made from fresh mandarin fish. The chef scores the flesh in a diamond cross-hatch, coats it in starch, and deep-fries it until it puffs into a golden, fanned shape resembling a squirrel's bushy tail. A pre-made sweet-and-sour sauce is poured piping hot over the fish tableside, sending up a sizzle. The result is shatteringly crisp outside, tender and flaky within, with a bright sweet-tangy glaze that lifts rather than masks the fish. It is the signature dish of Suzhou's old restaurants and a grand banquet centerpiece in the Yangtze River Delta. Crispness is everything—the crust softens as it cools—so it is best eaten the moment it reaches the table, fresh from the fryer and sauce boat.