the first time we're noodling around together 🥺
+ supper club recap and tickets for 3/30
hello! and welcome to the first *ever* edition of “noodling around”. i feel like everyone and their mom has a newsletter and that is now… me. i feel like i’ve been searching for a way to feel more connected to my community for a while (little ig stories and snippets only goes so far) and hopefully this will be it. ty for subscribing and for being here!
one of my goals in 2020 was to host a supper club but theeennn covid. and last year i think i just had imposter syndrome over whether people would want to come, eat the food i’m cooking, and i was like what if *I* hate it?! but i think my philosophy has always been that it’s ok to try to something and decide it’s not for me, but i should at least it give it a go. and i have to say, so far, it’s been addicting — i love hosting them, meeting new people, and creating a space for people to connect.
this past weekend’s supper club menu was focused on exploring different chinese (and chinese-inspired) interpretations of seafood. mainly bc 1) it’s dungeness crab season in the sf bay area and 2) i’m looking out for my pescatarian girlies!!
i love that these dinners help me think about menus and dishes in a way that’s a little bit different from just developing recipes — what is the timing? cohesion of the menu? how do i add in elements of education throughout the meal so that attendees walk away having learned something new? i think of it kinda like conducting an orchestra. developing recipes for it is also fun! there’s always an opportunity to give something i’ve made many times a before a new flair.
seafood supper club recap
this menu went through so many iterations as i was testing, thinking through pairings, and how to play stove-tetris. i made a lot of new-to-me things while also giving new twists things i’ve made many times before. here are some of my favorites:
garlicky fensi-shrimp: these took me forever to prep and butterfly but were so worth the effort for the presentation!! full recipe will be going out next week to paid subscribers, along with all my seafood supper club prep resources!
lobakgo (daikon cake): since this was a pescatarian-friendly dinner, i left out lapcheong (chinese sausage) and instead added in caramelized shallots for some sweetness and umami, as well as fish sauce. it’s served on a spicy oyster sauce (using fly by jing’s zhong sauce) and topped with bonito flakes!
steamed egg and crab: steamed egg and clams is a chinese classic but i wanted to play with the idea of crab and egg, since the sweetness and texture of the crab is a nice compliment to the silkiness of the egg. i also love crab fat for its richness and umami undertones and it made for a great sauce for the egg! for the next iteration, i want to try using crab shells to make crab oil to drizzle on top??
hunan duo jiao fish: this steamed fish dish is often made with a giant fish head (like in the middle image) and topped with pickled chilis. i knew i wanted to do a whole fish and experimented with how to plate + style the dish, the first variation (far right) was a deboned whole fish served head-on, skin-side-up, but it looked kinda jarring. i was inspired by the grilled fish i had at contramar which was served flesh-side up and am happy with how it turned out (left)!
the real MVP of supper club were these steamer grips that came in just in time. idk why i put off ordering them for sooo long, i just kept telling myself i didn’t need them, but after almost burning my hands a dozen times last time, i knew it was time. there’s also a clamp style.
reserve your spot for 3/30 supper club!
i’d love to have you at my next supper club! it’ll take place on saturday, 3/30 @7pm in downtown sf, seats are $88 per person. to reserve your spot(s), please fill out this form + send your payment via venmo to @wangchristy. i’ll send you an email once your spot is confirmed!
sample menu:
can’t make this one?
tickets for the 4/27 new york (!!) supper club will be dropping in the 3/23 newsletter
tickets for the 4/20 sf supper club will be dropping in the 3/30 newsletter
thanks for reading —
x christy