White Sauce Stuffed Fish
Tender fish fillet stuffed with savory filling, bathed in a creamy white sauce. A classic Cantonese dish with rich flavors and delicate textures.
Ingredients
15 items- sea bass (or any white fish) 1 (about 500g)
- shrimp 50g
- ground pork 50g
- water chestnuts 30g
- dried shiitake mushrooms 2
- ginger 5g
- scallion 1 stalk
- egg white 1
- cornstarch 1 tablespoon
- salt 1 teaspoon
- white pepper a pinch
- cooking wine 1 tablespoon
- broth (chicken or fish) 200 ml
- milk 50 ml
- cooking oil as needed
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Clean and scale the sea bass. Split it from the back along the spine, carefully remove the main bone to butterfly the fish, keeping the belly intact. Pat dry with paper towels.
In a bowl, mix minced shrimp, ground pork, chopped water chestnuts, and minced mushrooms. Add egg white, half the cornstarch, half the salt, a pinch of white pepper, and half the cooking wine. Stir in one direction until the mixture becomes springy, about 2 minutes.
Spread the filling evenly over the inside of the fish, about 0.5 cm thick. Gently press it down, then fold the fish back into its original shape. Secure the opening with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the stuffed fish for about 3 minutes per side until lightly golden brown and set. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté ginger and scallion until fragrant. Add the broth and milk, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce turns creamy white.
Return the fish to the pan with the white sauce. Simmer over low heat for 8 minutes, frequently basting the fish with the sauce. Cook until the fish is cooked through (a chopstick can easily pierce the thickest part).
Carefully transfer the fish to a serving plate. Remove ginger and scallion from the sauce. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add to the sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the sauce over the fish.
Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro. Serve immediately for best flavor.
Tips
Pro tips: 1. When deboning, keep the fish skin intact. 2. Stir the filling thoroughly until sticky for a bouncy texture. 3. Pat the fish dry before frying to prevent sticking. 4. Use low heat when simmering with milk to avoid curdling. 5. The thickening should be light; just enough to coat a spoon.
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