Butterfly Sea Cucumber
A traditional Shandong-style dish made with sea cucumber and fish paste shaped like butterflies, served in a clear broth with an elegant presentation.
Ingredients
Sea cucumber (soaked in water, washed clean with fresh water, sliced lengthwise into 12 large butterfly-shaped pieces)
Fish meat (soaked in water for 10 minutes, taken out and pounded into fine paste with the back of a knife)
Scallion-ginger juice
5 g
Clear soup (for thinning fish paste and preparing broth)
Edible salt
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Egg white
Dry starch (sprinkled in the middle of the sea cucumber slices)
10 g
Black sesame (placed at both ends of the head as 'eyes')
Ham (cut into shreds, arranged alternately by color on the butterfly's body)
Shiitake mushroom (cut into shreds, arranged alternately by color on the butterfly's body)
Cucumber peel (cut into shreds, arranged alternately by color on the butterfly's body)
Soaked fish fin needles (used as 'antennae')
24
Shaoxing wine
Instructions
1
Step 1
Rinse the sea cucumber with clear water, slice it lengthwise into 12 large butterfly-shaped pieces, soak in boiling water for 10 minutes, then take out and pat dry with gauze.
2
Step 2
Soak the fish meat in water for 10 minutes, take it out and pound into fine paste with the back of a knife. Put the paste in a bowl, add scallion-ginger juice and clear soup, thin the paste over low heat, then add edible salt, MSG, and egg white, stir well to make fish paste.
3
Step 3
Place the sea cucumber slices with the skin side up on a plate. Sprinkle dry starch in the middle of each sea cucumber slice. Shape the fish paste into butterfly bodies and place them in the middle of the sea cucumber slices. Attach black sesame at both ends of the head as 'eyes'. Arrange ham, shiitake mushroom, and cucumber peel shreds alternately by color on the butterfly bodies. Use fish fin needles as 'antennae'. Make 12 butterflies in total, arrange them on an oiled plate, and steam for 5 minutes before taking out.
4
Step 4
Pour clear soup into a wok, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off all foam. Add Shaoxing wine, MSG, and salt to adjust the seasoning. Pour the soup into a soup bowl, gently push the steamed butterflies into the soup, and serve.
