Yellow-Cooked Salt Cod in Chili Sauce

Before we went to the Hunan provice to get Eva, my friend Mei told us we had to try the yellow fish... that Hunan was famous for it's yellow fish. We never did find any, but... when Granny gave David his Hunan cookbook for Christmas, there was this recipe in it. I don't know if it's the same as what Mei was talking about, but we had to try it. We loved it!!! We did not make it as hot as I am sure they do in Hunan (we didn't add as much chili as the recipe below calls for). Also, instead of cod, we used Talapia. The cookbook also says you can use carp. I think any white fleshed fish will work well in the recipe. It comes from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Provice, by Fuchsia Dunlop.

A couple of hours before you want to cook, rub 2 1/2 tsp of salt into 2 cod fillets with their skin (about 1 lb total), and then place them in a ceramic or glass bowl and leave in the refrigerator. Rinse well and pat dry before cooking. (We used whole talapia fish instead of fillets and put 3 slashes in each side before rubbing in the salt. It worked fine. Also, we weren't able to cook the fish the same day, but the next day, and that also was great. So, you can do this step a day ahead if you desire)

Heat the 1/2 cup peanut oil (or other high temp oil) in a wok or non-stick skillet over a high flame. Add the fish and fry on both sides until golden, moving the fillets as little as possible so a nice crust develops; set aside. (This step can be done a little in advance.)

Other ingredients needed:
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 Tablespoon dried chili flakes
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine*
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce*
1 long, fresh chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
A handful of chopped purple Perilla (otional) (We left this out... couldn't find it)
4 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar* (optional) (We did add this)
1 teaspoon seseme oil

* These items need to be purchased at a specialty market.

Heat the wok (or skillet) over a high flame until smoke rises, then add 3 Tablespoons peanut oil and swirl around. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chili flakes and sizzle for a few seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Splash the Shaoxing wine around the edges of the wok and then add the broth or water.

Bring the liquid to a boil, add the soy sauce, and immerse the fish fillets. (If you are using unsalted fish, add a little salt to taste.) Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for a few minutes, spooning the liquid over the fillets from time to time, to allow the fish to absorb the flavors and the sauce to reduce; remove the fish to a serving dish.

Add the fresh chili and purple perilla to the remaining sauce in the wok, stir for a few moments, and then add the scallions and vinegar, if using. Give the sauce a few more stirs, then remove from the heat, stir in the seseme oil, and drizzle the liquid over the fish.

Note: If you want to salt the fish for five days, cake the fish generously with coarse salt, place it in a ceramic or glass bowl, cover with a heavy weight, and leave in the refrigerator for five days, turning the fillets every day or two, and draining off the liquid that emerges. Before eating, you will need to rinse and soak it overnight in plenty of water, changing the water as many times as possible to get rid of the excess saltiness.