A simple classic that’s much loved and perfect for the everyday table. With a bit of preparation, this dish will be ready for the family in just 30 minutes.
The salted black beans bring a rich umami-like intensity that becomes incredibly more-ish with every bite.
While the intensity of the sauce is gently off-set by the crisp freshness of spring onions, the sweet flakiness of the Asian sea bass (Siakap) just melts in your mouth.
This dish is perfect as is but if you would like to adapt it to your needs, you could replace large red chillies with a topping of bird’s eye chillies to make it a little spicy (top tip for parents with young kids who would like to add a little kick to their meals).
Or you could choose not to fry the fish for a healthier option. There’s room to play, so have fun and enjoy making this one.
Flavours and pairings
This dish pairs well with stir-fried or steamed green vegetables like Kai Lan or Choy Sum. Plus a side of steamed tofu or Chinese steamed eggs will do well to pull everything together in one harmonious bite.
Ingredients
To marinate:
- 2 fillets Asian Sea Bass (Siakap), skin on and cut into 5-7cm pieces lengthways
- Half teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons cornflour
- Salt
To cook:
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 5cm piece ginger, finely sliced lengthways
- 2 spring onions (white stems only), cut into 5cm pieces
- 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salted black beans, soaked in 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1.5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon cornflour, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water
To dress:
- 2 spring onions (green tops only), finely sliced
- 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Method
- Marinate fish fillets with white pepper, cornflour and salt. Mix together well and set aside.
- Heat a wok or pan on a low-medium flame. Add six tablespoons of oil. Fry the chopped garlic until golden brown, then remove and set aside.
- Turn the heat up to a medium flame to fry the fish. Add a few pieces of fish at a time, skin side down.
- Fry until the skin is crisp, spooning hot oil over the top of the fish at the same time (approximately three minutes cooking time per batch).
- When the skin is golden, remove and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
- Remove most of the cooking oil, leaving one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Keep the heat of the wok at a medium-high flame.
- Add ginger and spring onions, and stir swiftly for a minute or until fragrant.
- Add the chopped chillies and salted black beans. Stir well.
- Then add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornflour mixture and three tablespoons of water.
- Stir well until the mixture has thickened and become slightly viscous.
- Add fried fish to the wok and combine with the sauce, mixing everything gently and ensuring that every piece of fish is coated evenly.
- Plate the fish and garnish with a final flourish of spring onions, fried garlic, sliced chillies and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve at once.
@theorangesieve serves up recipes from the heart, inspired by travels near and far. It’s all about food that humbly invites you to discover the truth about flavour, that is: the people, the culture and the stories behind them. The kind of food that leaves you with a smile for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on.