hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we’re diving back into our series dedicated to reproducing foods from the Bay Area restaurant scene with yet another dish from a spot that is an absolute local legend around here, which is Shan Dong in Oakland, CA. For those following along, Shan Dong is a popular spot in the neighborhood for Chinese noodles, dumplings, and other comfort food classics. We have now done a NUMBER of dishes from their menu already, including their hot and spicy chow mein, beef chow fun, and hot and sour soup.
More specifically today though, we’ll be diving into their seafood menu with a shot at the salt and pepper fish, which as the name implies, is a battered and fried fish fillet seasoned with salt and…pepper. The Shan Dong classic is done with large diced jalapeños, but we’ll be doing ours with some Thai chiles today for some complex heat. Then finally, we’ll be rounding this out with a pound of this gorgeous catfish fillet courtesy of Sincere Seafood in Downtown Oakland, and bringing it to life with a simple but effective vinegar based sauce as well. Hope you try it.
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
1 lb catfish
4 cloves garlic
1 inch (about 1 tbsp) ginger
3-4 green onions
4-6 Thai chiles (or 1 jalepeno)
1/4 head cabbage
peanut oil
INGREDIENTS (batter)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp white pepper
pinch kosher salt
INGREDIENTS (sauce)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white sugar
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
SEPARATE the whites and greens of the green onions, then slice the whites thinly, and the greens into planks, set aside
SLICE the Thai chiles, set aside
SLICE the catfish into 1 inch pieces, then combine with all batter ingredients and set aside
SLICE the cabbage thinly, set aside
COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok as hot as possible, then add 1 1/2 cups peanut oil to a wok and long yao
ADD the catfish 10 pieces at a time and shallow fry for 3-5 minutes until golden brown, agitating constantly, then remove and let cool
REMOVE fryer oil, then wipe down the wok, reheat, add an additional 4 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the garlic, ginger, and whites of the green onions and toss until fragrant for about 15 seconds
SHIFT the wok contents to one side, then add the Thai chiles to the wok and bloom on the wok surface for 10 seconds before tossing to combine
ADD the sauce elements to the wok, toss to combine and let reduce for 3 minutes
ADD the catfish back to the wok and toss to combine for 30 seconds, then remove from heat immediately
SERVE over shredded cabbage, and finish with the greens of green onions