Last Updated on September 8, 2020 by Simon Fan
Blessed with the most fertile land in China and a long, rich history, Jiangsu Province has one of the most refined and sophisticated regional cuisines in the country.
I have written about two dishes from Jiangsu previously: the mouthwatering Wuxi spareribs, and Yangzhou fried rice, arguably the most famous fried rice in the world. Here, I’m introducing another dish from the region: fish rolls with bamboo shoots, ham, and shiitake mushrooms (三丝鱼卷).
This dish highlights two main characteristics of the local cooking: an emphasis on the purity of flavors, and exquisite cutting and presentation. The four ingredients in the dish, each with its unique flavor and texture, create a harmonious contrast.
Most of the time you spend making this dish will be with your knife. First, you cut the bamboo shoots, ham, and shiitake mushrooms into very thin matchsticks. Next, you carve paper-thin slices from the fillet of black carp. With all the knife work done, you then make delicate rolls by using the fish slices to wrap up an assortment of the black, white, and red matchsticks you just painstakingly created. The cooking part is easy: the rolls are steamed and served with a light sauce.
Because black carp is not easily available in the US, I’ve adapted the recipe to use flounder instead. The fine texture and delicate flavor of the flounder make it a good choice for the dish. Its naturally flat and thin fillet makes slicing easier.
When I make this dish in winter, I use fresh winter bamboo shoots, which can be found at Chinese grocery stores during that time. They’re tender young shoots grown underground, with a refreshing aroma, subtle sweetness, and a crisp texture. It’s worth the effort to seek out those winter treasures when they’re in season. If you can’t find fresh bamboo shoots, use pre-cooked vacuumed-packed shoots or canned ones instead.
Steamed fish rolls with bamboo shoots, ham, and shiitake mushrooms (三丝鱼卷)
Serves 2
Ingredients
1½ oz (45 g) peeled and trimmed fresh bamboo shoots, or substitute pre-cooked vacuumed-packed shoots or canned ones
2 oz (60 g) Chinese ham or other dry-cured ham (such as prosciutto, jamón, or country ham)
4 medium dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in 1 cup of warm water for about 1 hour
8 oz (230 g) flounder fillets, about 2 large pieces
½ teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch, mixed with ½ teaspoon water to make a slurry
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon Zhenjiang (aka Chinkiang) vinegar
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
- If using fresh bamboo shoots, boil them in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool. Squeeze the soaked mushrooms to remove excess water. Strain the soaking liquid and reserve.
- Cut the bamboo shoots, ham, and mushrooms into thin matchsticks about 2½ inches (6 cm) long or slightly longer than the width of the fillet.
- Cut each fillet in half crosswise. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and slice each half horizontally into 2 thin pieces (or more if you have great knife skills). Partially freezing the fillets will make the slicing easier.
- Divide and arrange the bamboo shoots, ham, and mushrooms on the fish pieces. Gently roll up each piece and seal each roll with some stary slurry.
- Place the rolls, seam side down, on a heatproof plate that fits into a steamer. Steam over high heat until the fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the rolls from the steamer and cover to keep them warm. Strain the fish juice collected on the plate and reserve.
- In a small saucepan, reduce the mushroom soaking liquid to ¼ cup (60 ml). Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and the reserved juice. Stir and reduce the sauce until it’s richly flavored. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Arrange the cooked fish rolls on a serving plate. Top each roll with the sauce and drizzle with the sesame oil. Serve right away.
