Phoenix-Tail Goldfish

Phoenix-Tail Goldfish

　　The preparation of Phoenix-Tail Goldfish is very simple. By following the recipe step by step, you are sure to enjoy a delicious dish. Phoenix-Tail Goldfish is one of the distinctive dishes in the Shandong cuisine of Chinese culinary tradition, and it primarily uses ham as its main ingredient.

　　　Main ingredient: 600g large yellow croaker

　　Side ingredients: 50g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 50g winter bamboo shoots, 50g ham

　　Seasonings: 1g Sichuan peppercorn, 5g salt, 10g rice wine, 3g monosodium glutamate, 10g sesame oil, 10g cornstarch, 10g chicken oil

　　Cooking Method

　　　　1. Finely shred the shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and ham for later use; 2. Mix 10g of cornstarch with water in a bowl to make 20g of wet starch;

　　3. Scale the yellow croaker, remove the gills and internal organs, then rinse clean. Cut off the head and tail (each with 2.6cm of meat attached), slice off both fillets from the body, remove the skin, and then slice into 24 thin pieces. Lay them flat on a plate;

　　4. Chop off the lower jaw of the fish head, make a cut inside, then flatten it by pounding with a knife to create a lying-down shape. Place one at the front and one at the back of the serving plate. Lightly marinate the fish slices, head, and tail with a sprinkle of salt, MSG, rice wine, and scallion-pepper water;

　　5. Mix the shredded shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and ham together, then season with salt, MSG, and rice wine until well flavored. Wrap these fillings into the fish slices respectively;

　　6. Leave 1/3 of the three shredded ingredients exposed to form the ‘tail.’ Then roll each filled fish slice neatly with the tails facing the rear, and arrange them between the head and tail sections. Steam over high heat for 30 minutes until cooked, then remove;

　　7. In a wok, add 400g of clear broth, along with salt, MSG, and rice wine. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then stir in the wet starch to create a light gravy. Pour this over the Phoenix-Tail Goldfish on the plate and drizzle with cooked chicken oil to finish.