Hibiscus Crucian Carp
A classic Hunan dish featuring deboned crucian carp steamed with egg white, shaped like a hibiscus blossom and prized for its tender, delicate flavor.
Ingredients
crucian carp (scaled, gills and entrails removed, washed, heads and tails cut off diagonally)
2 (750g)
white pepper (for seasoning)
0.5g
egg whites (beaten)
5
scallion (crushed, part cut into blossoms)
25g
cooked lean ham (minced)
15g
ginger (crushed)
15g
Shaoxing wine (for deodorizing and seasoning)
50g
chicken broth (for steaming)
250g
fine salt (for seasoning)
5g
chicken oil (for drizzling)
15g
MSG (for seasoning)
2g
Instructions
1
Steam Fish and Remove Meat
Remove scales, gills and entrails from the crucian carp, wash clean, cut off the heads and tails diagonally. Place the heads, tails and fish bodies in a plate, add Shaoxing wine, crushed scallion and ginger, steam in a steamer for 10 minutes, then take out. Keep the heads, tails and original soup untouched, use a small knife to pick off the fish meat.
2
Steam Hibiscus Mixture
Beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the fish meat, chicken broth and reserved original fish soup. Stir in fine salt, MSG and white pepper until well combined. Pour half of the mixture into a soup bowl, steam in a steamer until half set, take out, then pour the remaining half on top. Steam again until fully set to make the hibiscus crucian carp, and steam the fish heads and tails until cooked at the same time.
3
Plate and Serve
Take out the finished hibiscus crucian carp, steamed fish heads and tails. Place the fish head at one end and the fish tail at the other end of the hibiscus crucian carp to form the shape of a whole fish. Sprinkle with minced ham and chopped scallion, drizzle with chicken oil, then serve.
