China · Chinese

Fish maw simmered with ham

Rehydrated fish maw and Jinhua ham simmered together in clear broth — a Manchu–Han banquet highlight alongside sea cucumber, abalone and bird's nest. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.

45 minutes · 4 servings · advanced

Fish maw simmered with ham

Public reference · Home adaptation Yangzhou huafang lu places fish maw with ham among the top five-course dishes of the Manchu–Han banquet, alongside bird's nest, sea cucumber and abalone. The combination became a Qing-era Jiangnan banquet signature. Dry fish maw normally needs 2–3 days of soak-and-refrigerate outside this timing; this version uses ready-to-eat or pre-cooked fish maw. The ham provides all the salt; adjust only if using a low-sodium variety. Braising length is editorial for 4. Contains fish (fish maw) and pork (ham); rice wine contains alcohol. Ham is high in sodium — limit intake for hypertension or kidney disease. 百度百科：火方肥鱼肚 — Classic Hunan procedure: pre-soak fish maw, steam ham twice to remove salt, then braise together in chicken stock. https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%81%AB%E6%96%B9%E8%82%A5%E9%B1%BC%E8%82%9A/4885662 绿色健康网：庭鲴鱼肚的做法 — Practical home steps for soaking fish maw, steaming ham and braising in stock. https://www.gio.org.cn/food/gdms/xc/201104/116996.html FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature — ≥74°C centre temperature for reheating ham and fish maw. https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

  • ready-to-eat or pre-cooked fish maw200 g
  • Jinhua ham centre cut, deboned200 g
  • unsalted chicken stock800 ml
  • ginger10 g
  • scallion15 g
  • Shaoxing rice wine20 ml
  • white pepper powder1 g
  • rendered chicken fat (optional)5 g

Directions

  1. 1

    Slice ham thickly (keep a thin rind); simmer once in plain water, drain to remove excess salt, then steam with 200 ml stock for 20 minutes; reserve the steaming liquid. Cut fish maw into 5 × 3 cm slices and rinse once in warm water.

  2. 2

    Heat chicken fat in a pot, gently fry ginger and scallion, then add stock and reserved ham steaming liquid and bring to a boil.

  3. 3

    Add fish maw slices and simmer about 2 minutes, splash in rice wine for aroma.

  4. 4

    Divide ham and fish maw into 4 bowls, dust with white pepper and serve. Ham is not cooked further so it stays tender.

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.