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Clear-Stewed Whitefish
A whole Taihu whitefish steamed clear with ham, bamboo and mushrooms, finished with a pour of sizzling oil. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 清炖白鱼, report 34.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 清炖白鱼_34.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 11 minutesTotal: 26 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: MediumRegion: Jiangsu (Taihu)Flavour: Clear, salty-savoury
Why this works
This is a dish about clarity, in both senses. The fish is rinsed for ten minutes and steamed in clear chicken stock, not water, because the report warns that water alone leaves the flavour thin and forces extra seasoning to compensate. Ham, bamboo and mushroom are laid across the fish in alternating stripes, so each slice carries all three colours and all three flavours, and the steaming time is tied to weight — ten minutes for a four-hundred-gram fish, plus two minutes for each extra hundred grams — because oversteaming is what turns this fish dry and crumbly. The final hot-oil pour is not decoration: oil at around one hundred and eighty degrees, poured over the scallion and chilli shreds, blooms their aroma without cooking the fish further. If your fish is a different size, adjust the steaming time by the report's rule rather than guessing, and rest the fish for a minute after steaming before you pour.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taihu whitefish, gutted | 14.1 oz | 400 g | Any whole white fish of similar size (sea bass, bream) works; adjust steaming by weight (adaptation). |
| Jinhua ham, in thin slices | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Cut about 2 mm thick. Prosciutto is a substitute (adaptation). |
| Water-soaked bamboo shoots, sliced | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Canned bamboo shoots, rinsed, work (adaptation). |
| Dried shiitake, soaked, stemmed and sliced | 1.1 oz | 30 g | — |
| Scallion segments | 0.7 oz | 20 g | For the bed under the fish. |
| Ginger slices | 0.5 oz | 15 g | For the bed under the fish. |
| Cooking wine | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 3 g | — |
| Clear chicken stock | ⅔ cup + 2 tbsp | 200 ml | Do not substitute water, per the report. |
| Scallion shreds and red chilli shreds, to garnish | 0.2 oz | 5 g | — |
| Hot oil, for pouring | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Heated to 180–190 °C. |
Equipment
- Steamer large enough for a whole fish (or a roasting pan with a rack and a tight lid as a steamer substitute — adaptation)
- Heatproof plate that fits the steamer
- Small saucepan for heating the pouring oil
Steps
- Clean and score the fish. Scale, gut and remove the black membrane from the fish, then rinse under running water for 10 minutes. Score 3 cuts on each side, down to the bone but not through the spine.
- Prepare the toppings. Slice the ham about 2 mm thick; soak the bamboo and mushrooms, stem and slice the mushrooms.
- Bed and top the fish. Lay scallion segments and ginger slices on the plate, set the fish on top, and arrange ham, bamboo and mushroom slices alternately across the fish in red, white and dark stripes.
- Season and steam. Pour over the cooking wine and stock and sprinkle with salt. Steam over high heat for 10 minutes, counting from when the water boils, then turn off the heat and rest for 1 minute. Add 2 minutes per extra 100 g if your fish is larger.
- Drain and garnish. Lift out the plate, pour off the steaming liquid (thicken it lightly and pour it back, or discard it to keep the flavour clear, per the report), and scatter scallion and red chilli shreds over the fish.
- Pour the hot oil. Heat the oil to 180–190 °C, until it just smokes, and pour it over the toppings to release their aroma. Serve at once.
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Technique: steam by weight, pour by temperature
The report's rule — 10 minutes for 400 g, plus 2 minutes per 100 g — is the whole technique; guessing the time is how this fish goes dry. The oil pour must be genuinely hot (180–190 °C) or it adds grease without aroma, and it must go over the garnish, not the bare fish.
Variations
- Smaller fish: for a 300 g fish, steam about 8 minutes by the report's rule (adaptation).
- No ham: omit it and the dish is still clear and savoury, but salt a touch more carefully (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why rinse the fish for ten minutes?
To remove blood and fishiness from a whole freshwater fish; a quick rinse does not do the same job.
Can I use water instead of stock?
The report says no — clear stock is what gives the dish its savouriness without clouding it.
Why pour off the steaming liquid?
It can be thin and fishy; the report lets you thicken and return it or discard it to keep the flavour clear.
Storage and freezing
Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat gently until steaming hot throughout. Do not freeze whole steamed fish — the texture suffers badly.
Clear-Stewed Whitefish — Recipe Card
Whole whitefish steamed clear with ham, bamboo and mushroom, finished with hot oil.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 11 minutesTotal: 26 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 400 g whitefish; 30 g ham; 50 g bamboo shoots; 30 g shiitake; 20 g scallion; 15 g ginger; 15 ml cooking wine; 3 g salt; 200 ml clear chicken stock; 5 g scallion and chilli shreds; 15 ml hot oil.
Steps: 1) Clean, rinse 10 minutes, score. 2) Bed and top. 3) Steam 10 minutes, rest 1 minute. 4) Drain, garnish, pour hot oil.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 清炖白鱼 (data/reports/34.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Home servings (2, from one restaurant portion), the fish substitutes and the steamer substitute are adaptations and are labelled as such. Original poster image: clouchef.com (清炖白鱼_34.jpeg).