She prepped the fish just as she always did.
The gory scene was blurred for a few seconds.
Once the fish was ready, she scraped off the scales and tenderized the flesh. Then, she cut off the head, as this part wasn't needed for the dish.
After removing the head, she used the back of her cleaver to flatten the fish, then removed its spine.
Next, she placed the fish skin-side down on the cutting board and began to score the white, slightly pink flesh with uniform cuts.
"When you cut, use a little bit of force, but be careful not to cut the fish all the way through."
She lifted the fish for a close-up, then went back to it. "Once you've finished scoring the flesh, the prep work is complete."
After being rinsed in water, the scored flesh fanned out into a granular, blooming pattern, looking just like a pinecone.
"Then, we're going to coat the squirrel-shaped fish with egg and dry starch."
Jiang Qiuqiu gave the camera another close-up as she coated the fish.
