Velveted Fish

FLKeysJen's Note:

This elegant dish is a local specialty of Yueyang, a fishing village in the Hunan Province. From the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 14 ounces halibut fillets (or any white fish)
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms , soaked in hot water from the kettle for 30 minutes and drained
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ green bell pepper
• 3 scallions , green parts only
• 3 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
• 1 ½ inches piece fresh ginger , peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock or 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• peanut oil , for cooking
• salt , to taste

Marinade

• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or 1 tablespoon sherry wine
• 2 tablespoons egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or 2 tablespoons potato flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Cornstarch Paste

• ½ teaspoon cornstarch or ½ teaspoon potato flour
• 2 teaspoons cold water

Directions:

1. Mix together marinade, and mix together cornstarch paste.
2. Cut the fish into 1/2-inch slices and put in a bowl with marinade; mix well and set aside.
3. Drain and squeeze the mushrooms; remove the stems and slice the caps.
4. Cut the red and green peppers into 3/4-inch strips, and then diagonally into lozenge shapes.
5. Cut the scallion greens into bite-sized pieces.
6. Heat the wok over high heat, then add some peanut oil. When hot, add the fish and stir with chopsticks to separate the slices; when they are white but not fully cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Drain off all but three tablespoons of the oil, and return the wok to the stove top over high heat; add the garlic, ginger, mushrooms and peppers and stir-fry until fragrant; add the fish and season with soy sauce, vinegar and salt to taste; add the stock, and then the cornstarch paste, stirring as it thickens the liquid to a glaze.
8. Stir in the scallion greens and then, off the heat, the sesame oil. Serve.

Reviews

[Pot Scrubber]

Lovely fish dish. It reminds me of Moo Goo Gai Pan only prepared with fish instead of chicken. I ordinarily prefer spicy Szechuan type dishes but this mild recipe lets fresh ingredients shine. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Jen!

[PanNan]

This was a lovely seafood stir fry. Once the prep was finished it was ready in a snap. I followed the recipe exactly, but will likely add a little more of the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to pick up the flavor a bit in the future, and also a few more mushrooms - because I like them!

[Maito]

Wow, is this ever delicious! It is mild, but don't confuse that with bland - it has great flavor. I halved the salt, tripled the mushrooms, and used a teaspoon each of the soy and vinegar. I loved the fish and the method in this, and the flavors were nicely balanced. I decreased the fish to half a pound (but kept the rest the same) and it was perfect for 2 people.