Oil-Blast Shrimp
Shrimp flash-fried until crisp and fragrant.
← Home crab fish lips banquet
Crab Roe Fish Lips
Fish lips simmered in a rich stock with crab roe, ginger and a splash of black vinegar, finished with coriander warmed in the boiling broth. Adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report — 蟹粉鱼唇, report 186.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 蟹粉鱼唇_186.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 24 hours 10 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 24 hours 20 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: HardRegion: ShanghaiFlavour: Savoury, delicate
Home adaptation note: The report is one portion (100 g crab roe, 120 g fish lips). Quantities below are that portion. Fish lips (dried shark or fish lip cartilage, sold as yuchun) need a 24-hour soak and are the hard ingredient here — start a day ahead, and buy from a reputable dried-seafood shop. The 200 ml stock is a concentrate diluted 1:10 per the report; good chicken stock is the home substitute (adaptation).
Why this works
This is a dish of expensive ingredients treated with restraint. Fish lips are soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours, boiled for five minutes and rinsed, then cut into three-centimetre squares and squeezed dry — any water left in them will thin the sauce. The stock must be at a full boil before anything goes in, so the crab roe hits high heat immediately and its centre reaches at least eighty-five degrees. The roe is stirred gently apart and cooked for one to two minutes only; longer and its fresh flavour evaporates. Fish lips then simmer for three minutes, just until they turn translucent and curl slightly — past that they harden. Ginger goes in with the seasoning and must cook for a full thirty seconds, coriander for five seconds in the boiling broth, and the whole reduction is capped at thirty seconds so the sauce stays just thick enough to coat a spoon. Nothing here is left to chance, because at these prices nothing should be.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen crab roe (xiefen), fully thawed | 3.5 oz | 100 g | Thaw completely with no ice crystals; use roe from cooked crabs, not raw. |
| Dried fish lips (yuchun), rehydrated | 4.2 oz | 120 g | Soak 24 hours in cold water, boil 5 minutes, rinse, cut into 3 cm squares, squeeze dry. |
| Stock (concentrate diluted 1:10, or chicken stock) | 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp | 200 ml | Chicken stock is the home substitute (adaptation). |
| Ginger, minced | 0.2 oz | 5 g | Must cook in the hot soup at least 30 seconds. |
| Coriander, cut into 3 cm sections | 0.35 oz | 10 g | Must cook in boiling broth 5 seconds; do not scatter raw. |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | 2 g | — |
| Shaoxing wine | 2 tsp | 10 ml | — |
| Zhenjiang black vinegar | 1 tsp | 5 ml | — |
Equipment
- Pot for the stock
- Bowl for soaking the fish lips (a day ahead)
- Ladle or spoon for gentle stirring — do not whisk the roe
Steps
- Rehydrate the fish lips. Soak the dried fish lips in cold water for 24 hours. Boil 5 minutes, rinse in cold water, cut into 3 cm squares and squeeze dry. Thaw the crab roe fully to room temperature with no ice crystals. Mince the ginger and cut the coriander.
- Boil the stock. Bring the 200 ml stock to a full boil over high heat, about 2 minutes. It must be boiling before anything goes in.
- Add the crab roe. Turn to medium heat, add the crab roe and stir gently apart with a spoon so it does not clump. Keep heating at least 1 minute so the centre reaches at least 85 °C; do not cook past 2 minutes or the freshness fades.
- Add the fish lips. Add the fish lip squares and simmer on medium heat 3 minutes, until translucent and slightly curled. Check the inside reaches at least 75 °C. Do not overcook or they harden.
- Season and finish. Add the salt, wine, vinegar and minced ginger and cook 30 seconds. Turn to high heat and reduce until slightly thick, about 80% of the liquid remaining, no more than 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cook 5 seconds in the boiling broth, and serve immediately at 85 °C or hotter.
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Technique: Boiling stock first, thirty seconds last
Two rules protect the expensive ingredients: the stock must already be boiling when the roe goes in, and the final reduction must end within thirty seconds. Either rule broken and the dish is either unsafe or overcooked.
Variations
- Simpler stock: Use plain chicken stock with a pinch of sugar (adaptation) if you cannot find stock concentrate.
- No vinegar: Omit the vinegar for a purer crab flavour; the dish will be richer and less bright.
Frequently asked questions
What are fish lips?
The dried lip and cartilage of large fish, sold as yuchun in dried-seafood shops. Rehydrated, they are soft, gelatinous and almost flavourless — a texture ingredient that carries the crab flavour.
Why is my sauce thin?
The fish lips were not squeezed dry after rehydrating, or the reduction ran too short. Squeeze well and reduce until the sauce just coats a spoon.
Can I use fresh crab meat instead of roe?
The report specifies crab roe. Crab meat gives a different, milder dish — pleasant, but not this one (adaptation).
Storage
Best eaten immediately at 85 °C or hotter. Do not store the finished dish; crab roe deteriorates quickly. Store uncooked rehydrated fish lips refrigerated up to 2 days.
Crab Roe Fish Lips — Recipe Card
Fish lips in rich stock with crab roe, ginger and black vinegar.
Prep: 24 hours 10 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 24 hours 20 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 100 g crab roe; 120 g fish lips; 200 ml stock; 5 g ginger; 10 g coriander; 2 g salt; 10 ml wine; 5 ml black vinegar.
Steps: 1) Soak fish lips 24 hours, boil 5 minutes, cut and squeeze dry; thaw roe fully. 2) Boil stock. 3) Add roe, stir gently, cook 1–2 minutes. 4) Add fish lips, simmer 3 minutes. 5) Season, reduce 30 seconds, add coriander for 5 seconds, serve hot.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 蟹粉鱼唇 (data/reports/186.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost.