Ivory Mandarin Fish

Name: Ivory Mandarin Fish
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 33 min
Ingredients: 1000 g Large mandarin fish (slaughtered, head, back bone, and ribs removed, skin peeled, two fillets cut crosswise into ivory strips); 25 g Soaked shiitake mushrooms (cut into strips after soaking); 15 g Cooked ham (cut into strips); 100 g Green leafy vegetables (stir-fried as a border garnish); 25 g Egg white; 10 g Shaoxing wine; 3.5 g Refined salt (0.5 g for stir-frying the greens, 1 g for coating, 1 g for the sauce); 15 g Cooked chicken oil (drizzled in just before plating); 1000 g (actually uses 100 g) Cooked lard (for velveting; 1000 g prepared, 100 g actually used); 3.5 g MSG (1 g for coating, 1 g for stir-frying the greens, 1.5 g for the sauce); 25 g Wet starch (15 g for coating, 10 g for the sauce); 50 g Clear broth (for the thickening sauce); 5 g Scallion segments (cut into shreds)

A traditional specialty of Zhejiang, featuring tender mandarin fish with a fine, ivory-like texture, paired with ham and shiitake mushrooms for a pleasing presentation.

33 min

Easy

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Ingredients

Large mandarin fish (slaughtered, head, back bone, and ribs removed, skin peeled, two fillets cut crosswise into ivory strips) 1000 g

Soaked shiitake mushrooms (cut into strips after soaking) 25 g

Cooked ham (cut into strips) 15 g

Green leafy vegetables (stir-fried as a border garnish) 100 g

Egg white 25 g

Shaoxing wine 10 g

Refined salt (0.5 g for stir-frying the greens, 1 g for coating, 1 g for the sauce) 3.5 g

Cooked chicken oil (drizzled in just before plating) 15 g

Cooked lard (for velveting; 1000 g prepared, 100 g actually used) 1000 g (actually uses 100 g)

MSG (1 g for coating, 1 g for stir-frying the greens, 1.5 g for the sauce) 3.5 g

Wet starch (15 g for coating, 10 g for the sauce) 25 g

Clear broth (for the thickening sauce) 50 g

Scallion segments (cut into shreds) 5 g

Instructions

Preparing the mandarin fish

Slaughter the mandarin fish, remove the head, back bone, and ribs, and peel off the skin. Cut the two fillets crosswise into ivory strips, rinse clean, then add the egg white and 1 g MSG and knead until sticky. Add 15 g wet starch and mix until the coating is well developed.

Preparing the supporting ingredients

Cut the cooked ham and soaked shiitake mushrooms into strips. Stir-fry the green vegetables until just cooked, season with 0.5 g salt and 1 g MSG, then arrange them around the edge of a serving plate.

Mixing the thickening sauce

Combine the Shaoxing wine, 1.5 g MSG, 1 g salt, and 10 g wet starch in a bowl. Add the clear broth and stir until smooth to form a thickening sauce, then set aside.

Velveting the fish

Heat the wok over medium heat, then add the lard and bring it to roughly 40% hot (about 88°C / 190°F). Add the fish strips and slip them apart for about 10 seconds, then pour into a strainer to drain off the oil.

Final stir-fry and plating

Leave 15 g of oil in the wok, add the scallion shreds and briefly stir-fry to release their aroma, then add the ham and fish strips. Slowly pour in the prepared sauce while gently swirling the wok to thicken, drizzle with the chicken oil, then transfer to the center of the plate surrounded by the green vegetables. Serve immediately.