Pan-fried Hairtail
香煎帶魚 (Xiang Jian Dai Yu)
Also known as beltfish or cutlassfish,[1] hairtail is not eaten much in the West, but is very popular in East Asian cuisines.[2] Largehead hairtail is a long, thin, and relatively flat fish with few bones, making it ideal for pan-frying or grilling. This simple, rustic preparation highlights the tender texture and delicate flavor of the fish.
Ingredients
1 lb hairtail
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil
Clean the hairtail and chop the fish into pieces about 5 inches long. To get crispy skin and to reduce splatter when cooking, pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Score the skin, cutting the fish to a depth of about ¼ inch. The scoring will help the skin crisp more evenly by preventing it from curling, and will also help the seasoning penetrate the fish.
Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and white pepper, pressing the seasoning into the skin of the fish. Then mix the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon white pepper together, and set aside in a small dish for dipping later.
In a nonstick skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot, then place the fish pieces in the pan. Once the fish is down, don’t move it! Let the fish fry for 5 minutes, until the first side is cooked through and the skin has crisped.
Hairtail is a delicate fish with thin skin, so be careful when you flip it, and use a big spatula. Flip the fish pieces over and fry on the second side, again without moving the pieces. Fry for 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
Remove the fish from the pan and serve with the reserved pepper salt.
Substitutions
This frying technique also works for other small fish, such as mackerel. If you want a crunchier exterior, dredge the hairtail pieces in some cornstarch before frying. If you want a bit of extra heat, mix some ground Sichuan pepper into your pepper salt.
[1] In Korean, hairtail is known as galchi (갈치), which translates literally to “sword fish.”
[2] Largehead hairtail is currently the 8th most wild-harvested fish species, behind the Peruvian anchoveta, Alaska pollack, Skipjack tuna, Atlantic herring, Chub mackerel, Yellowfin tuna, and Japanese anchovy.
Recipe
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 15 min
Difficulty: 2/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: nonstick skillet
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 lb hairtail
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil
Instructions
1. Chop the hairtail into about 5 inch pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and score the skin, cutting through the skin to a depth of about ¼ inch.
2. Sprinkle the surface of the fish with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp white pepper, being sure to get both sides. Mix the remaining 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp white pepper, and set aside for dipping later.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the pieces of fish in the pan. Let fry for 5 minutes without moving the pieces.
4. Carefully flip the fish pieces over and fry on the second side, again without moving the pieces, for 5 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Remove from the pan and serve with the reserved pepper salt.
