Braised Shark Fins
A premium banquet dish of Beijing cuisine featuring tender shark's fin in an apricot-yellow color, with a rich savory flavor and a thick, velvety sauce.
Ingredients
soaked yellow shark fins (arranged on bamboo grids)
1750 g
old hen (slaughtered, cleaned, split open and gutted)
3000 g
duck (slaughtered, cleaned, split open and gutted)
750 g
dried scallops (soaked, tendons removed, steamed until tender)
245 g
cooked ham (5g minced, 45g sliced)
250 g
scallion sections
250 g
ginger pieces
50 g
white sugar
15 g
Shaoxing wine
25 g
refined salt
15 g
water (for braising)
4000 g
clear soup (for cooking)
to taste
chicken fat (for stewing)
to taste
water starch slurry (for thickening sauce)
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Arrange the shark fins neatly on bamboo grids.
2
Step 2
Soak the dried scallops in warm water, trim off the tough tendons on the edges with a small knife, wash off surface sediment, put into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of water, steam in a steamer until tender, then set aside.
3
Step 3
Cut 5g of the cooked ham into fine mince and set aside; cut the remaining 45g of cooked ham into thin slices and set aside.
4
Step 4
Slaughter 2 hens and 1 duck, pluck all feathers, split open from the back, remove internal organs, wash off blood stains with water, and set aside.
5
Step 5
Place the soaked shark fins together with the bamboo grids into a pot, place the cleaned hens and ducks on separate bamboo grids, then press them on top of the shark fins. Also add the scallion sections and ginger pieces to the pot, pour in water, bring to a rolling boil over high heat, drain off the water, and remove the scallion and ginger to eliminate the gamey smell.
6
Step 6
Pour 4000g of water into the pot, add the 45g sliced ham and steamed dried scallops, bring to a boil over high heat for 15 minutes, skim off all foam, then simmer over low heat for about 6 hours. Then turn off the heat, first remove the hens, ducks, ham and dried scallops, pick out any remaining chicken and duck debris, and take out the shark fins (together with the bamboo grids).
7
Step 7
Pour the thick braising sauce from the shark fins into a wok and heat it up, then put the shark fins (together with the bamboo grids) into the wok and cook for about 1 hour. Then add clear soup and dried scallop cooking liquid, bring to a boil over heat, add chicken fat, sugar and salt, stew for 2 to 3 minutes to let the flavors absorb. Then take out the shark fins and place them on a flat plate, invert the shark fins onto another plate; add a small amount of water starch slurry to the thick shark fin sauce in the pot, and cook until it reduces to a thick sauce. At this point, pour the thick sauce over the shark fins, sprinkle with the ham mince, and the dish is ready.
