Finished dish photo of Yellow Croaker Soup with Pickled Mustard Greens

Yellow Croaker Soup with Pickled Mustard Greens

Yellow Croaker Soup with Pickled Mustard Greens is a Zhejiang-style soup dish. A few days ago, I saw this dish featured on the Zhejiang cuisine episode of 'Tastes of the Eight Sides,' and my husband couldn't stop craving it, nagging me to make it. Since he asked, I quickly made it. I went to the supermarket to buy yellow croaker, which was quite pricey, costing over 30 yuan per pound. The pickled mustard greens are homemade. Yellow croaker is rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins. It has various health benefits, such as tonifying the spleen, soothing the stomach, calming the mind, relieving diarrhea, and replenishing energy. It is effective for treating anemia, weakness, insomnia, dizziness, loss of appetite, and postpartum recovery for women. Yellow croaker is also rich in selenium, which helps eliminate free radicals, delays aging, and prevents various cancers. Winter bamboo shoots are tender, fresh, and crisp. They are rich in protein, various amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements like calcium, phosphorus, and iron, as well as abundant dietary fiber. They promote bowel movement, aid digestion, and prevent constipation and colon cancer. Winter bamboo shoots are a high-protein, low-starch food that provides dietary benefits for obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis patients. The polysaccharides they contain also have certain anti-cancer properties. However, as bamboo shoots contain a high amount of calcium oxalate, they are not suitable for children, patients with kidney stones, or those suffering from nephritis to consume in excess.

Ingredients

Yellow croaker350g
Pickled mustard greens100g
Winter bamboo shoots80g
Cornstarch2 teaspoons
Scallion20g
Ginger5g
Salt1/2 teaspoon
White pepper1/4 teaspoon
MSG1/4 teaspoon
Yellow wine1 tablespoon
Small red chili1 piece

Steps

1

Prepare all the ingredients.

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2

Slice the ginger and tie the scallions into knots.

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3

Remove the scales, gills, and viscera of the yellow croaker, clean it thoroughly, and pat it dry with a paper towel.

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4

Dust cornstarch evenly over the fish and rub it on by hand.

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5

Slice the winter bamboo shoots, wash the mustard greens, chop them, rinse twice, and squeeze out excess water.

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6

Heat a pan, add oil until it reaches 70% heat, and fry the yellow croaker until golden on both sides.

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7

In another pan, stir-fry the mustard greens and bamboo shoots for a few minutes.

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8

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

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9

Leave a small amount of oil in the pan, add scallions and ginger, and stir until fragrant.

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10

Add the fried yellow croaker to the pan.

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11

Add yellow wine and sufficient hot water to the pan, bring it to a boil over high heat.

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12

Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

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13

Add the stir-fried mustard greens and bamboo shoots to the pan.

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14

Boil over high heat for another 5 minutes, season with salt, white pepper, and MSG. Serve, garnish with scallion and red chili circles.

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Cooking Tips

1. Coating the yellow croaker with cornstarch helps prevent the fish skin from breaking during frying when using hot oil. 2. Using hot water in the pot will produce a creamy white fish soup. 3. Stir-frying the mustard greens and bamboo shoots beforehand enhances their flavor during simmering.