Seven Star Fish Ball Soup

Name: Seven Star Fish Ball Soup
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Ingredients: 600 g Net sea eel meat (scraped into fish paste); 30 g Fresh shrimp meat (made into paste); 60 g Dry starch; 600 g Pork belly (minced into paste); 5 g MSG; 10 g Sesame oil; 10 g Fine salt; 800 g Stock; 2 g White pepper powder; 5 g Chopped mustard greens

A traditional Fujian dish featuring stuffed fish balls that float on the surface of a clear, mirror-like broth, arranged to resemble the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

1h 5m

Easy

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Ingredients

Net sea eel meat (scraped into fish paste) 600 g

Fresh shrimp meat (made into paste) 30 g

Dry starch 60 g

Pork belly (minced into paste) 600 g

MSG 5 g

Sesame oil 10 g

Fine salt 10 g

Stock 800 g

White pepper powder 2 g

Chopped mustard greens 5 g

Instructions

Prepare the Fish Paste

Prepare the sea eel and use a small sharp knife to scrape out the fish paste, placing it into a bowl. Dissolve 4 g fine salt in 500 g clean water, then add the salted water to the fish paste in 5 batches. After each addition, stir with your hand in one direction so the fish meat swells and becomes elastic. Add the dry starch and mix well until the fish paste can be shaped into small balls that float when dropped into water.

Prepare the Filling

Wash the shrimp and grind into a paste; mince the pork belly into a fine texture. Place both into one bowl, add 2 g fine salt and 1.5 g MSG, and stir until evenly combined. Divide and shape into 1 cm filling balls.

Form the Stuffed Fish Balls

Hold a portion of fish paste flat in the palm of your left hand, and use your right hand to place one filling ball in the center. Using the thumb and forefinger of your left hand, squeeze so the fish paste wraps around the filling and a stuffed fish ball is pressed out from between the fingers. Use a small spoon to scoop the ball into water, forming fish balls that float on the surface. Switch to high heat, bring to a boil, and cook the fish balls through, then transfer them into a soup bowl.

Finish the Soup

In a separate pot over high heat, pour in the stock and add the remaining MSG and fine salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Pour into the soup bowl over the fish balls, then sprinkle with a pinch of chopped mustard greens, white pepper powder, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.