Glass-Style Fresh Cuttlefish
A Hunan dish of fresh cuttlefish scored in a crosshatch pattern, blanched until tender, and finished with a clear, glossy sauce. Savory, aromatic, and full of delicate seafood flavor.
Ingredients
fresh cuttlefish (cut into pieces about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide; score cross-hatch cuts halfway through, slice the remaining portion into intercut pieces and shape into fish tail forms)
300 g
salt
2 g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
2 g
white pepper
1 g
water-cornstarch slurry (for the glass sauce)
a pinch
ginger juice
a pinch
chicken broth
to taste
refined oil
to taste
chicken fat (drizzled in just before serving)
to taste
Instructions
1
Cut and score
Cut the fresh cuttlefish into pieces about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide; on one half, score a shallow cross-hatch pattern. For the remaining portion, make alternating hinge cuts and shape the slices into fish-tail forms.
2
Blanch and plate
Blanch the prepared cuttlefish pieces briefly in boiling water just until done, then arrange them neatly on a serving plate.
3
Pour the sauce
Heat a wok, add the refined oil, chicken broth, ginger juice, salt, MSG, and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Thicken lightly with a small amount of water-cornstarch slurry to make a clear, glass-like sauce, drizzle in a little clear oil, then pour the sauce evenly over the plated cuttlefish. Finish by drizzling a touch of chicken fat just before serving.
