Butterfly Sea Cucumber

Name: Butterfly Sea Cucumber
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 250 g Rehydrated sea cucumber; 30 g Fish meat (soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then chopped into fine paste); 20 g Rehydrated shark fin; 25 g Rehydrated winter mushroom (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide); Cooked ham (cut into strips for butterfly mouth), to taste; Black sesame seeds (for butterfly eyes), to taste; 5 g Refined salt; 10 g Soy sauce; 0.5 g Monosodium glutamate (MSG); 10 g Shaoxing wine; Egg white (mixed with fish paste to make the fish mixture), to taste; Cornstarch (sprinkled in the middle of the sea cucumber), to taste; Egg sheet (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide), to taste; Cucumber skin (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide), to taste; Clear broth (for mixing the fish mixture and pouring as soup), to taste

Butterfly Sea Cucumber is a classic Lu cuisine dish. Prepared sea cucumber is shaped into butterfly forms, paired with fish paste, shark fin and other supporting ingredients, steamed, then finished with a pour of clear broth. It has an elegant appearance and a rich, fresh, mellow flavor.

1h 15m

Easy

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Ingredients

Rehydrated sea cucumber 250 g

Fish meat (soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then chopped into fine paste) 30 g

Rehydrated shark fin 20 g

Rehydrated winter mushroom (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide) 25 g

Cooked ham (cut into strips for butterfly mouth) to taste

Black sesame seeds (for butterfly eyes) to taste

Refined salt 5 g

Soy sauce 10 g

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) 0.5 g

Shaoxing wine 10 g

Egg white (mixed with fish paste to make the fish mixture) to taste

Cornstarch (sprinkled in the middle of the sea cucumber) to taste

Egg sheet (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide) to taste

Cucumber skin (cut into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide) to taste

Clear broth (for mixing the fish mixture and pouring as soup) to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Sea Cucumbers

Cut each sea cucumber lengthwise into 3 pieces (12 pieces total), blanch in boiling water, remove and pat dry with a clean cloth, then trim into butterfly shapes.

Make the Fish Mixture

Soak the fish meat in cold water for 10 minutes, remove and chop into a fine paste. Place in a bowl, add refined salt, MSG, clear broth, and egg white, and mix well to form the fish mixture.

Shape the Butterflies

Arrange the sea cucumbers skin-side up on a plate. Sprinkle cornstarch in the middle of each, then shape the fish mixture into a butterfly body and lay it horizontally across the center. Place black sesame seeds at the head end for butterfly "eyes," press ham strips into position as the butterfly mouth, and arrange shark fin as the whiskers.

Decorate

Cut the winter mushroom, egg sheet, and cucumber skin into strips 2 cm long and 0.2 cm wide. Arrange the strips by color on the butterfly bodies to complete 12 "butterflies."

Steam

Steam in a bamboo steamer over a pot until fully cooked, then remove.

Finish the Dish

Pour the clear broth into a wok and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off the foam, add Shaoxing wine, refined salt, MSG, and soy sauce, and adjust the seasoning. Pour the broth into a soup bowl and gently slide the steamed "butterfly sea cucumber" into the bowl. Serve.