Velveted Fish

Submitted by FLKeysJen

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

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 14 ounces halibut fillets (or any white fish)
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water from the kettle for 30 minutes and drained
• 1⁄2 red bell pepper
• 1⁄2 green bell pepper
• 3 scallions, green parts only
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1⁄2 inches piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1⁄2 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
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• Cornstarch Paste

• 1⁄2 teaspoon cornstarch or 1/2 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

[Patty C.]

Quick dinner, excellent flavors. I did triple my sauce to serve over the rice. <br/>Thank you .

 

[dhuynh]

wonderful dish! i did add some thinly sliced Serrano chilies for a little heat came out delish

 

[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.