The Correct Way to Fillet and Velvety Fish Slices

The Correct Way to Fillet and Velvety Fish Slices

Ingredients

• 3 Salt (for washing and massaging the fish)
• 1 Sea bass or snakehead fish
• 1 Egg white (for velveting the fish)
• adjust according to egg white size Potato starch (for velveting the fish)

Instructions

1. Run the knife along the backbone from head to tail to fillet the fish. Hold the fish body with a cloth in your left hand to prevent slipping, and cut along the backbone with your right hand until you reach the tail, then cut through.
2. After filleting off both pieces of fish, use the knife to trim away the rib-belly section with bones.
3. Here comes the key point — many people end up with pin bones in their fillets because they slice in the wrong direction. The correct method is to slice diagonally from the head end toward the tail. This way the slices will be bone-free. Don't throw away the head and bones — pan-fry them and make a delicious fish soup.
4. The resulting fillet slices are quite neat and plentiful.
5. Velveting fish slices isn't actually difficult. Add a generous amount of salt to the slices and gently massage until the fish sticks and doesn't fall when the bowl is inverted. Add water and gently massage until the water turns cloudy, then rinse the slices clean again. Place the slices on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels — this helps the velveting coating adhere properly.
6. Crack one egg white into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of potato starch, and mix with water into a thick, yogurt-like consistency. Pour over the fish slices and toss evenly. Drizzle with salad oil and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This prevents the coating from slipping off and keeps the slices from sticking together.
7. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to low heat to maintain a gentle simmer — high heat will cause the coating to slip off. Blanch the fish slices until they turn white, then remove. The whole process takes about 2 minutes. Don't overcook or the fish will become tough. Don't worry about undercooking — the fish will go back into the pan when you finish the dish.
8. You can use these to make tomato fish slices, Sichuan boiled fish, and more. Hope everyone masters the skill of filleting fish!