Deep-Fried Noodlefish 椒鹽白飯魚 (Cantonese: jiu yeem bak fan yu) is one of my favorite things to order at restaurants. You can find them at casual Cantonese restaurants where they serve congee and beer. I also see them on dim sum menus sometimes. I love eating it with congee since it’s packed with flavour with a crispy texture. It’s like adding crispy airy croutons to congee…yum! Realistically, I can eat them with anything or with nothing! They’re like chips!
Noodlefish is also called silver fish and is always wild caught. They are very high in calcium and are typically quite inexpensive in Asia. In Vancouver, I paid $5 for 128g, which is on the pricey side, if you ask me! But they are delicious, so it’s worth it!
There is a slight difference between the noodlefish 白飯魚 (bak fan yu)/文昌魚(mun cheong yu) and silver fish 銀魚 (ngun yu). Some say that the noodlefish is from the sea and silver fish is from the river. But both are interchangeable when cooking with them.
Here’s some interesting trivia. Did you know that in Hong Kong, 白飯魚 (noodlefish) also refers to white canvas sneakers? The word for shoe is 鞋 (hai) which sounds like the word for skeleton 骸 (hai). A white shoe is even worse because white for Chinese people symbolizes death. A shoe seller started calling them noodlefish (since noodlefish are white) to sell more shoes…and it worked!
In my Deep-Fried Noodlefish 椒鹽白飯魚 with chili salt recipe, I’ll show you how to make light, airy, crispy and delicious deep-fried noodlefish that is better than most restaurants! I give you all the details so that there’s no guessing involved. My batter is different than most, but when I was testing in the kitchen, this one was the sure winner. Serve this the next time you make congee and you’ll see how it’s the perfect pairing!
Need a congee recipe? Try my Minced Beef Congee 碎牛粥
Print Recipe
Deep-Fried Noodlefish 椒鹽白飯魚
Ingredients
- 128 g Frozen noodlefish or sliver fish
- 1 tsp Salt for soaking
- 1 stalk Green onions , chopped
- 1 Chili pepper , chopped
- 1 tbsp Deep fried garlic (you can also use fresh garlic)
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 L Oil for frying
(you can use less oil but you’ll have to fry in more batches)
Ingredients for wet batter:
- ½ Egg white (1/2 of the egg white from 1 large egg)
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Corn starch
- 2 tsp Flour
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
- ½ tsp Fish sauce
Ingredients for dry batter:
- 1 c Manioc flour aka cassava starch aka tapioca starch
(1/3 cup is probably enough but using 1 cup makes it easier to coat but it’ll be more wasteful) - 1 tsp Corn starch (do not combine with the manioc flour)
Ingredients for seasoning:
- 1 tsp Hot bean paste (豆瓣醬 dóubǎnjiàng)
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
Instructions
- Soak frozen noodlefish in water with 1 tsp salt and let thaw
- Chop green onions and prepare fried garlic and chilis
I buy the store bought fried garlic aka crispy garlic - In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp hot bean paste, ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp sugar and ¼ white pepper powder and set aside
preparing it now makes it easier to combine with the noodlefish. If you don’t have hot bean paste, you can add more diced chilis and ½ tsp of chicken broth powder - Rinse noodlefish thoroughly and let dry in a colander or on a kitchen towel
the drier it is, the less oil splatter there is when you deep-fry them - Make the wet batter by combining ½ egg white, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp corn starch, 2 tsp flour, ½ tsp white pepper powder and ½ tsp fish sauce in a mixing bowl. Mix well
- When noodlefish is dry, add to wet batter and mix until each fish is well-coated
- On a plate, add 1 cup of manioc flour and then spread the batter-coated noodlefish onto the bed of manioc flour
- Use your hands to toss the noodlefish so that each fish is completely coated with the manioc flour
- Use a course colander (one with large wholes) or a wire strainer to remove the excess flour
- Sprinkle 1 tsp of corn starch and toss the noodlefish in it
this will prevent it from sticking together when you deep-fry them - Heat your deep-frying oil to 200˚C or 400˚F
If your oil is not hot enough, your noodlefish will be chewy instead of crispy. I find deep-frying in a wok is the easiest and since it’s narrow on the bottom and wide on the top, it uses less oil to fry more quantity - Put the noodlefish into the wok from the sides to prevent oil splatter. Do not overcrowd the wok, it will bring down the temperature of the oil and the noodlefish will not be crispy
- Gently move the noodlefish around the wok for even frying and to prevent them from sticking to each other. Fry for approx. 2 minutes or until the batter has hardened. The color should be quite white. Remove from oil and let sit on a cooling rack. If you’re frying more than one batch, then keep frying until all the noodlefish is fried.
You should try to remove any little pieces of batter in the oil with a small strainer in between batches to prevent having burnt pieces. - Increase the temperature of the oil to 220˚C or 425˚F. Put all the noodlefish into the wok again for a second fry. This time, they can be more crowded in the wok. Fry for 1 minute or until golden. Remove from oil and let rest in a colander
- In a wok or pan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil
- Add garlic, chilis, green onions and fry until aromatic
- Then add the seasoning powders and hot bean paste and mix well
- Add the noodlefish and toss until well mixed
- Pour onto serving plate and serve
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