Spicy Bean Paste Avocado on Sablefish 豆瓣牛油果煎黑魚 (dòu baň niú yóu guǒ jiān hēi yú) is my own creation inspired by my big bag of avocados from Costco. It’s much more economical buying avocados from Costco than buying them individually. But there’s only so much avocado toast one can consume before the avocados start turning black! Consequently, who knew that avocados are really good in stir-fries?! They’re kind of like a richer creamier tofu. I can also use it with my Beijing Soy Paste (zha jiang) noodles and skip the pork altogether. It’s super tasty!
My family loves sablefish. Sablefish is more commonly known as black cod in Chinese supermarkets. In Chinese, we call it “hēi yú 黑魚” or “xǔe yú 鱈魚”. And they are from the northern Pacific region. I’ve seen some restaurants and supermarkets call it “yín xǔe yú 銀鱈魚” which is actually silver sea bass from the northern Atlantic region. Both are pretty expensive and have a buttery texture. So it may not matter if the names are interchanged but I believe that the silver sea bass is a bit more expensive. Both are really good for pan-frying.
Avocados are a fairly new food in China, but it’s quickly catching on because of it’s health benefits. In 2018, China was the largest importer of avocados in the world. In 2020, in Yunan province, they harvested their first crops of avocados. I’m sure there will be many more Chinese culinary dishes that will incorporate avocados. But until then, I’m thinking about slicing a few pieces and adding it to a pineapple bun (Hong Kong style bun) instead of the butter to make “buttered” pineapple bun. It's actually a perfect substitution because the Chinese word for avocado means “butter fruit”. I assume because its texture is like butter. But then on second thought, nothing can replace butter! Maybe I’ll add both!
Anyways, if you’re looking for something quick, easy, tasty and healthy, this dish checks all the boxes. My Spicy Bean Paste Avocado on Sablefish 豆瓣牛油果煎黑魚 goes perfectly with a bowl of rice (or two)!
Spicy Bean Paste Avocado on Sablefish 豆瓣牛油果煎黑魚
Ingredients
- 450 g Sable fish (aka black cod)
- 1 Avocado
- 3 Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 Shallot
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 stalks Green onions
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Spicy bean paste (aka Chili bean sauce)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Light soy sauce for shiitake marinade
- ½ tsp Sugar for shiitake marinade
- ½ tsp Cornstarch for shiitake marinade
Instructions
- Clean and dry the fish. Cut into large chunks, approx. 4cm x 4cm
- Chop garlic, shallots and green onions
- Cut avocado and shiitake mushrooms into small cubes
- Marinate the shiitake mushrooms with ½ tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp cornstarch
- Coat pieces of fish with cornstarch, covering the whole surface
- In a non-stick pan, using medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp oil. Fry each side of the fish until lightly golden. This may take approx. 3 minutes per side
- Once the fish is done, place the pieces on a serving plate
- In a wok or pan, using medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil
- Add shallots, garlic and 3/4 of the green onions to the wok. Fry until aromatic
- Add shiitake mushrooms. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute
- Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp spicy bean paste, 1 tbsp oyster sauce and 1 tsp sugar
If your spicy bean paste is dry or fairly dry, add 1-2 tbsp water - Add avocados and stir-fry for another 30 seconds
- Pour on top of the fish
- Sprinkle with the rest of the green onions on top
- Serve
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