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Day With Mei

Chinese-American pantry recipes

Savory

  • Savory
  • Sweet
  • Tinned Fish
  • Miso Garlic Clams

    Savory · January 22, 2025

    Miso Garlic Clams

    Sichuan Paocai (Infinite Pickle Jar)

    Savory · January 6, 2025

    Sichuan Paocai (Infinite Pickle Jar)

    Salt Fried Pork 盐煎肉

    Savory · November 21, 2024

    Salt Fried Pork 盐煎肉

    Tofu Skin, Celtuce, and Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

    Savory · October 28, 2024

    Tofu Skin, Celtuce, and Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

    Mapo Tofu

    Savory · October 15, 2024

    Mapo Tofu

    Chinese-American Dutch Baby

    Savory · September 26, 2024

    Chinese-American Dutch Baby

    Okroshka

    Savory · September 13, 2024

    Okroshka

    Tinned Calamari and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

    Savory, Tinned Fish · September 1, 2024

    Tinned Calamari and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

    Heartbreak Liangfen (Jelly Noodles) 伤心凉粉

    Savory · July 11, 2024

    Heartbreak Liangfen (Jelly Noodles) 伤心凉粉

    Mackerel Lettuce Tomato Sandwich (MLT)

    Savory, Tinned Fish · April 19, 2024

    Mackerel Lettuce Tomato Sandwich (MLT)

    Mussels in Soybean Butter Sauce

    Savory · April 16, 2024

    Mussels in Soybean Butter Sauce

    Tinned Smoked Salmon with Crispy Rice and Sesame Sauce

    Savory, Tinned Fish · April 5, 2024

    Tinned Smoked Salmon with Crispy Rice and Sesame Sauce

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    Tinned Fish Talk 🎣 King Salmon Cheeks from @wildfi Tinned Fish Talk 🎣 King Salmon Cheeks from @wildfishcannery 

King salmon cheeks are a cut you can’t get anywhere else in a can, it’s rare to even find at a fishmonger, much less a restaurant. Fish cheeks are rare because they are so small and labor-intensive to harvest. There’s only two per fish so you can imagine how much it takes to fill a single can.

The good news: this is one of the most uniquely pleasurable experiences I’ve had from a tin of fish. The bad news: there is a very limited quantity that sells out almost immediately each year (sorry!) For transparency, they sent me this tin ($44) but know i’ve been a continued customer and all opinions are my own.

I chose to warm up the unopened tin in hot water so the natural fat and collagen are even more luxurious—like a fatty, unctuous scallop. King salmon has a relatively mild flavor and richer texture compared to sockeye or coho. Wildfish Cannery is a one-of-a-kind operation here in North America with a tight-knit supply chain that hand-packs fish caught locally in Southeast Alaska. I hold a special respect for their culinary approach, the cannery is a direct opposition to the category’s commodity reputation.
    2 weeks later, we have Sichuan larou! In the pre 2 weeks later, we have Sichuan larou! 

In the previous video, I cured pork belly in salt and spices for several days then set it outside to dry. I smoked it with apple wood pellets and cooked off a piece to taste.
    How do you keep traditional foods alive? Sichuan How do you keep traditional foods alive?

Sichuan bacon season is back! Larou (Sichuan bacon) is a cured pork belly process similar to pancetta. It’s first seasoned with spices and salt in an equilibrium cure, hung outside to dehydrate, then (optionally) smoked. The earliest records of this wind-cured meat date back to the Zhou Dynasty roughly 3000 years ago. 

In Sichuan you can buy larou everywhere. In the US no one really makes it at scale. I grew up in the US making it with my family every winter season out of that necessity. Funny enough I’m the only one from my generation still carrying it on, and I’m the one farthest from home.
    saved the best for last the suburbanite mall rat saved the best for last

the suburbanite mall rat in me is clawing to get out help me
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