Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/4 pounds firm white fish filet, such as catfish or petrale sole, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ inch fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- About ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola
- 6 to 8 dried chiles de Arbol or other slender moderately hot chiles, halved lengthwise with scissors and seeded
- 2 teaspoons red or green Sichuan peppercorns
- 4 ribs celery (6 ounces), cut on a steep diagonal into ½-wide pieces
- 12 ounces napa cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 green onions, cut into 3-inch lengths, whites separated from greens
- 2 slices ginger, unpeeled, bruised
- 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons Sichuan fermented chile bean sauce (dou ban jiang)
- 3 cups lightly salted chicken stock, or 1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth plus 1 1/3 cups water
- ¼ cup potato starch or cornstarch combined with ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce, as needed
- About 1 tablespoon Homemade Chile Oil (the regular kind is just fine)