This is totally optional, but if you're planning on garnishing the salmon with anything (like cilantro) or serving it with any vegetables (like broccoli), then it's best to cut it before the salmon (for sanitation).

To make our salmon (1.5 lb) fillets, make diagonal cuts about 2 cm apart. The diagonal cuts help increase the surface area of the fillets, which speeds up cooking and reduces moisture loss.

Spread the fillets out on the cutting board, and sprinkle white pepper on each side. The white pepper helps counter some of the "fishy" taste of the salmon.

We'll crack and mix our eggs into a bowl, and spread out cornstarch (3 tbsp) on a plate.

Coat each side of each salmon fillet first in the egg, and then the cornstarch. This coating helps add some delicious crunchy/crispiness when it's cooked.

Heating the wok

We’ll set our stove to medium high and let our wok heat up. 

Unlike other Chinese recipes, with salmon, it’s important that the wok gets hot enough but not too hot. It’s difficult to give an exact amount of time, since it depends a lot on your stove and cookware.

My dad relies on his own intuition that he’s developed over 50 years of cooking. For the rest of us, he waited about 2-3 minutes on this current setup. 

Cook the salmon

Then, we’ll add corn oil (2 tbsp), and swirl it around the wok. 

The wok and the oil should be hot enough once the oil starts shimmering, or making ripples. 

Once this happens, we’ll add our salmon to the wok.

My dad had just enough room for 8 fillets, so try not to overcrowd your wok and consider cooking in multiple batches if necessary.

The total cooking time for the salmon also varies depending on how hot your stove is, how thick each fillet is, and what type of pan or wok you’re using. 

On my dad’s current setup, which has less heat output than a gas stove, he cooked each fillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, generally not flipping the salmon over more than once. 

For a visual cue, once the salmon fillet starts to turn more white / yellow-ish, you can flip it.

You should be able to tell if the salmon is done if it easily flakes, though you can cook it to your preferred level of doneness. If you wanted to get more precise, you can also insert an instant-read food thermometer into the thickest part of the salmon. 

Other tips

As long as it’s cooked enough, the rest is just a lot of trial and error to find the texture of salmon that’s perfect for you. My dad tends to prefer salmon that’s more medium or well-done, so if you prefer something more rare, then adjust accordingly.

Kenji from the Food Lab has a great blog post and video with a bunch of helpful tips on how to pan fry salmon. Not all of these tips apply to this specific recipe, but it’s still a great resource, and I’ve linked to it in our description. 

Add garlic salt to the fillets.

Then, we'll add rice cooking wine (0.50 tbsp). We should have the lid for the wok within reach, because we’ll be covering the wok immediately after we pour the cooking wine in. We’ll only be covering the wok for about 20 to 30 seconds before we take the lid off. 

Uncover the wok, and turn the heat off. Transfer the salmon fillets to a plate, and add any garnish you'd like.

To make the sauce, mix together sugar (1 tbsp), vinegar (0.50 tbsp), light soy sauce (2 tbsp), boiling water (2 tbsp), and chili sauce (0.25 tsp). Mix it all together for about 5-10 seconds. 

Notes:

• If you prefer more spiciness, feel free to add more chili sauce. 
• If you’re wondering why my dad specifically uses boiling water, it’s to help extend the shelf life of the sauce. My parents elaborate on why during our "Meal Time".