Steamed Shad
A famous Zhejiang dish: shad is wrapped in pork net fat and steamed. The fish’s fat-laden scales yield tender meat, with a rich wine aroma.
Ingredients
Shad fish middle section (washed, patted dry, scales kept)
350 g
Ham slices
25 g
Rehydrated shiitake mushroom
1
Bamboo shoot slices
25 g
Pork caul fat (washed and drained)
150 g
Ginger
2 slices
Scallion knot
1
Salt
7.5 g
MSG
0.5 g
Shaoxing wine
25 g
Rendered pork lard
25 g
Sugar
25 g
Instructions
1
Plating
Wash the shad fish and pat it dry with a clean cloth; do not remove the scales. Wash and drain the pork caul fat, then spread it across the base of a heatproof bowl. Place the shiitake mushroom on top of the caul fat, then arrange the ham slices and bamboo shoot slices neatly over it. Finally lay the shad fish on top with the scaled side facing down, and add the scallion knot, ginger slices, Shaoxing wine, salt, rendered pork lard, and MSG.
2
Steaming
Place the bowl in a steamer (or steam over rapidly boiling water) over high heat and steam for about 15 minutes, until the shad fish is just cooked through. Remove from the steamer and discard the scallion knot and ginger. Invert a serving plate over the bowl, then flip to release the fish and its juices onto the plate. Serve immediately.
