Coiled Dragon River Eel with Fermented Black Bean Sauce
A traditional dish made with river eel as the main ingredient, steamed with fermented black beans and other seasonings, shaped like a coiled dragon, with tender, smooth flesh and a rich, savory fermented black bean flavor.
Story
A beloved staple of classic Chinese seafood cooking, this dish features river eel artfully arranged into the shape of a coiled dragon before being steamed to lock in its delicate texture. The eel is cooked with fragrant fermented black bean sauce, resulting in a visually striking presentation and melt-in-your-mouth tender meat layered with deep, umami-rich savory notes.
Ingredients
River eel (scrub clean with salt, cut one incision every 2 cm on the fish's back (spine cut through, belly connected), remove internal organs from the incisions, wash clean)
600g
Red chili pepper (minced)
1 piece
Chinese scallion (minced)
3 stalks
Ginger (minced)
1 small piece
Garlic (minced)
5 cloves
Fermented black beans (washed and minced)
1 tablespoon
Sesame oil
1 tablespoon
Soy sauce
2 teaspoons
cooking wine
1 tablespoon
pepper powder
1 teaspoon
refined salt
3 teaspoons
white sugar
1 teaspoon
starch (wetted)
as needed
Instructions
1
Prepare river eel
Rinse the river eel thoroughly with salt, cut one slash every 2 centimeters on the fish's back (cut through the spine while keeping the belly intact), remove the internal organs from the slits, then rinse clean.
2
Prepare seasoning mix
Rinse fermented black beans and mince them, chop red chili pepper, scallion, ginger and garlic into fine pieces, then add soy sauce, cooking wine, white sugar, salt and pepper, and mix well to make the seasoning.
3
Marinate
Place the river eel into the prepared seasoning, marinate until fully infused with flavor, then add wet starch and mix until evenly coated.
4
Steam
Arrange the marinated river eel on a plate in a coiled dragon shape, drizzle with sesame oil, then steam over high heat for 10 minutes, and it is ready.
