Silver Sprout and Yellow Croaker Vegetarian Shark's Fin

Name: Silver Sprout and Yellow Croaker Vegetarian Shark's Fin
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 300 g mung bean sprouts; 200 g yellow croaker fillet (cut into strips); 100 g mung bean vermicelli (soaked in boiling water and washed); 50 g shrimp meat (minced); 25 g egg white; 20 g soy sauce; 2 g monosodium glutamate; 25 g starch (dry starch for coating the vermicelli, slurry for other uses); 5 g salt; 15 g sesame oil (for greasing the long plate); 7.5 g sugar; 20 g Shaoxing wine; 15 g rendered pork lard (drizzled in for final thickening); 150 g chicken broth; 500 g (50 g actually used) peanut oil (for stir-frying the sprouts and oil-blanching the fish strips; 50 g actually used)

A traditional Jiangsu specialty featuring sautéed green bean sprouts as a base, topped with strips of yellow croaker and mock shark's fin crafted from vermicelli and shrimp paste shaped to resemble the fine needles of real shark's fin. Realistic in presentation, it makes a refreshing dish for summer.

50 min

Medium

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Silver Sprout and Yellow Croaker Vegetarian Shark's Fin

Ingredients

mung bean sprouts 300 g

yellow croaker fillet (cut into strips) 200 g

mung bean vermicelli (soaked in boiling water and washed) 100 g

shrimp meat (minced) 50 g

egg white 25 g

soy sauce 20 g

monosodium glutamate 2 g

starch (dry starch for coating the vermicelli, slurry for other uses) 25 g

salt 5 g

sesame oil (for greasing the long plate) 15 g

sugar 7.5 g

Shaoxing wine 20 g

rendered pork lard (drizzled in for final thickening) 15 g

chicken broth 150 g

peanut oil (for stir-frying the sprouts and oil-blanching the fish strips; 50 g actually used) 500 g (50 g actually used)

Instructions

Prepare the vermicelli

Soak the vermicelli in boiling water until soft, rinse it clean, then mix with soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, and dry starch until evenly coated.

Make the shrimp paste

Mince the shrimp into a fine paste, then combine with egg white, salt, monosodium glutamate, and a cornstarch slurry until smooth.

Assemble the vegetarian shark's fin

Lay the seasoned vermicelli on a long plate greased with sesame oil. Spread a layer of shrimp paste about 7 cm wide down the center, then cover with another layer of vermicelli. Trim the ends flush and press flat with your hands so both vermicelli layers adhere firmly to the shrimp paste. Steam over brisk heat for 3 minutes. Remove and cut crosswise into two sections with a knife. Make 9 vertical cuts through the parts where the shrimp paste binds the two vermicelli layers, producing 10 strips; gently pull apart the sections without shrimp paste so the vermicelli fans out into fine needle-like strands resembling shark's fin.

Stir-fry the bean sprouts

Heat oil in a wok, add the mung bean sprouts with salt and monosodium glutamate, stir-fry just until cooked through, then transfer to the long plate as a bed.

Oil-blanch the fish strips

Cut the cleaned yellow croaker fillet into strips, season with salt and monosodium glutamate, and coat with a cornstarch slurry. Slide into oil heated to about 150°C (about 60% hot) and gently separate the strips. Drain well and arrange over the bean sprouts.

Braise the vegetarian shark's fin

Place a wok over the heat, pour in the chicken broth, add soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine, and lower in the vegetarian shark's fin. Simmer for 3 minutes, then lift out and lay neatly over the fish strips.

Finish with sauce

Thicken the remaining broth in the wok with a cornstarch slurry, swirl in the rendered pork lard until glossy, and pour the sauce over the vegetarian shark's fin. Serve immediately.