When a fish of firm texture is large enough, the Chinese often make two dishes out of it: stir-frying the fillet and making a soup with the head and carcass. This practice is especially common in the South of China, where the yield from the sea enriches the table with such delicious fish as grouper and perch. Small turbot and other flat fish are also suitable for this purpose.

Ingredients:

1 pound 2 ounce to 1 1⁄4 pound (500 to 560 gram) fillet from 1 small halibut weighing 2 3⁄4 to 3 pounds (1.25 to 1.35 kilograms)
salt
peanut or corn oil for deep-frying
8 ounces (225 grams) sugar peas, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut diagonally into slivers
6 thin slivers fresh ginger root, peeled
1 or 2 shallots, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
For the marinade:
1 inch (2.5 centimeter) fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped fine
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon sugar
6 turns white pepper mill
1 teaspoon Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
11⁄2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
For the sauce:
1⁄2 teaspoon potato flour
3 tablespoons clear stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon thin soy sauce

Directions:

Ask the fishdealer to fillet the halibut for you, removing the skin as well. Take the head and carcass home to make soup (see following recipe). Pat the fillet dry. Cut into pieces of similar size, about 1 by 1 1⁄2 inches (2.5 by 3.5 centimeters). Put into a dish.

Prepare the marinade: Put the chopped ginger in a garlic press in 2 batches with 2 drops of water each time and squeeze the juice over the fish. Discard the pulp. Add the salt, sugar, pepper, wine or sherry, cornstarch and egg white to the fish. Mix well to coat. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

Prepare the sauce: Mix together the potato flour, stock, oyster sauce and soy sauce.

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of oil. Plunge in the sugar peas and, once the water returns to a boil, pour into a colander and refresh under cold running water. Drain thoroughly.

Half fill a wok or deep fryer with oil. Heat to a temperature of 350°F (180°C) or until a cube of stale bread browns in 60 seconds. Let the fish “go through the oil” carefully for about 10 seconds, using a pair of long chopsticks to separate the pieces. With a large hand strainer, quickly transfer to a dish. The fillet is now half cooked. Pour the oil into a container to be used again, leaving only about 3 tablespoons in the wok.

Reheat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and, as it sizzles, add the ginger slices and shallots and stir for a few seconds, to release their aroma. Return the fish to the wok and toss and turn for about 30 seconds, or until very hot. Splash in the wine or sherry around the side of the wok, continuing to turn and stir as it sizzles. Pour in the well-mixed sauce, stirring as it thickens. Return the sugar peas to the wok; turn and toss to mix. Transfer the fish mixture to a warm serving plate. Serve immediately.

Note: Other vegetables, like broccoli, Chinese broccoli or fresh mushrooms, can also be used as complementary ingredients to the fish. Serves 4 to 5 with the soup and 2 other dishes.