Leftover Salted Squid at Hop Kee – NYC

On Sunday, after a night of cheap booze on the Lower East Side, I woke up with a massive headache and a hankering for Chinese food. (Well drinks are PURE EVIL!) So after I finally crawled out of bed, the BF and I hopped in a cab and ended up at Hop Kee, our usual Chinatown haunt. This time, along with the usual order of fried flounder and chow fun (By the way, DO NOT order vegetable chow fun and expect extra vegetables. It’s basically their meat chow fun minus the meat, in other words, it’s a plate of noodles, mung bean sprouts, and remnant green specks from the wok.), I also ordered Salted Squid with hot pepper ($16.25), a dish recommended by reader nynyjap.

I have to say, the first few bites… I wasn’t impressed. The fried squid was quite salty (hence the name), there could have been more pepper slices, and it seemed to have been made with rehydrated squid. I prefer fresh squid. That said, later that night, eaten cold out of the refrigerator it was pretty tasty. That probably doesn’t say much since salty, greasy foods tend to taste good late at night (especially with a beer), but I’m certain next time I go to Hop Kee and someone orders the Salted Squid, I’ll kindly offer to take the leftovers home.

Hop Kee
21 Mott Street (b/n Chatham Sq & Mosco St; map)
New York, NY 10013
212-964-8365