Today, Chef Daddy Lau is going to teach us how to make pan fried salmon, along with one of his favorite dipping sauces.
The salmon is a super easy weeknight recipe that’s ready in under 25 minutes, and the sauce is something my parents always have a stash of in their fridge, since it pairs well with a ton of different dishes.
Let's dive in!
Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!
Ingredients for Salmon
to taste
)to taste
)Dipping Sauce
to taste
)very important
)Optional Garnish
For this specific recipe, my parents bought Atlantic salmon. With regards to Atlantic vs Pacific, farmed or wild-caught, there’s no right or wrong choice, but my parents have a slight preference for Atlantic salmon, which nowadays are primarily farmed.
As one of the world’s most consumed species of fish, salmon is a massive industry, with several million tons sold every single year, and tons of complexity surrounding how we source it in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.
As consumers, an easy way to do our part is by making sure we vote with our wallets. Monterey Bay Aquarium in California runs a free website called “Seafood Watch” which has a ton of recommendations on how to choose and purchase seafood in ways that have the least environmental impact.
Some of these ingredients are hard to find in a typical grocery store.
If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:
I've also included some other Chinese kitchen essentials, used in many of my dad's other recipes.
These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!
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 (1 ) 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:
Ingredients for Salmon
to taste
)to taste
)Dipping Sauce
to taste
)very important
)Optional Garnish
Chop any garnishes and vegetables first, and then work on the salmon, to reduce risk of cross-contamination.
To make the 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.
Crack and mix the eggs (1 ) 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. Make sure each side is evenly coated.
Heating the wok
Set the stove to medium high and let the wok heat up for about 2-3 minutes.
Cook the salmon
Then, add corn oil (2 tbsp), and swirl it around the wok.
Once the oil starts shimmering, or making ripples, add the salmon to the wok.
Don't overcrowd the wok and consider cooking in multiple batches if necessary.
Cook each fillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Generally, you won't need to flip 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.
The salmon is done if it easily flakes, though you can cook it to your preferred level of doneness.
Add garlic salt ( ) to the fillets.
Then, add rice cooking wine (0.50 tbsp) and cover the wok immediately, for about 20 to 30 seconds, then 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:
As I was researching this recipe, I felt like it was important to share how salmon and fishing helped form some of the first Chinese communities in the West.
During the Gold Rush, tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants, mostly from Guangzhou, flocked to California enticed by the promise of the Gām Sāan, or gold mountain in Cantonese, although many were forced out of mining work due to discrimination.
Undeterred, a group of experienced fishermen found their own gold in abalone and other fish along the Monterey coast. Known as China Point by locals, Chinese immigrants proudly sparked the first large scale commercial fishing industry in California, supplying fish and shellfish to countries all over the world.
During and after the Gold Rush and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, many Chinese immigrants relocated to Seattle, Vancouver, and surrounding areas to work for salmon canneries and on fishing boats, doing the difficult work of supplying and processing most of the world’s salmon at the time.
Today, the once thriving Chinese enclave in Monterey no longer exists, but in spite of periods of intense discrimination and oppression, Seattle and Vancouver are still homes to some of the largest Chinese communities abroad.
I have so many memories eating this dish growing up.
Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.
Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and hang out with our adorable son. We get into a lot of detail about how how salmon made its way into the Chinese diet, and what life was like for my parents growing up in China.
Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.
