Shark fin soup: recipe with photo

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Shark fin soup is a dish that is hundreds of years old. For the first time, historians found a mention of him during the reign of the Ming Dynasty, that is, from the 14th century. It was highly valued in China; the best cooks prepared it only for members of the imperial family. Over time, he could be seen at a dinner with noble and we althy Chinese, at wedding celebrations. It was considered the highest sign of respect for the guest if he was served shark fin soup at the reception.

Demand for shark fins

Chinese doctors attributed many healing properties to the stew, increasing the demand for such a dish among the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. Shark fishing has become a barbaric business that has spread rapidly in eastern and African countries. Poachers annually destroy a huge number of these fish, and often on ships they are caught with nets, only the pectoral, dorsal fins and tail are cut off, and the rest, still alive, are thrown overboard. A living being dies in terrible agony, which leads to great concern for everything.civilized world.

Many countries have declared a ban on the extermination of sharks in such a barbaric way, and even it is forbidden to cook this dish in restaurants. Greenpeace activists stage protests outside restaurants and hotels where they continue to use shark fins to make soup. It is difficult to cope with the problem because of the passion for profit, because shark fin soup costs from 100 to 200 dollars (from 6,500 to 13,000 rubles). Despite the high price, many rich people want to try this exotic dish, considering it as a status food. You can order it not only in Chinese restaurants, but also in many countries of the world. Fins are purchased dried or canned.

In the article, we will consider what shark fin soup is, why its price is so high, and find out if it is as tasty and he althy as Chinese healers describe it. We will tell you the recipe for its preparation in all details, what else is added to the soup, why it takes so long to cook it and many other interesting facts.

Benefits according to Chinese doctors

As you know, Chinese traditional medicine is very different from the world. There, each product, often absolutely specific, is credited with useful properties. They promise that after tasting the dried organ of an animal or a crocodile, a person will get rid of many problems. We also paid attention to sharks, whose fins, during cooking, are laid out on elastic threads, the so-called elastotrichia, which provide a jelly-like consistency.this dish.

According to Chinese healers, shark fin soup is of great benefit, increasing male strength and improving skin tone, it is also believed that shark fins will relieve you of cholesterol in the blood and prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system. Another shark stew should rejuvenate and heal from anemia, and will also have a beneficial effect on the internal organs - the lungs, kidneys and even the bones of the skeleton. Oriental healers believe that sharks do not get cancer, so eating soup will save you from such a problem.

Research by official doctors

Let's get acquainted with the studies of doctors of official medicine. In the course of studying the nutrients in this soup, it was concluded that the fins are quite poor in vitamins. Any vegetable soup will bring more benefits to a person than shark fins. However, it was found that they contain a large amount of minerals, namely, iron, zinc, phosphorus, as well as sodium and potassium.

However, as in all other types of ocean predators, a lot of heavy metals and other harmful substances accumulate in sharks, which is associated with pollution of the oceans. American scientists found a large amount of mercury in the fins, which has a negative impact on he alth, refuting the opinion that fins are useful for increasing male potency. Mercury just has the opposite effect on men's he alth, in large quantities leads to infertility, both male and female.

Researchers also tested the benefits of soupfrom shark fins for cancer. As a result, it was found to be absolutely useless and effective at the placebo level of both fins and shark cartilage in general.

Shark fishing

The growing popularity of the fin dish is causing avid entrepreneurs to rush in search of sharks, despite bans and outrage from conservation groups. Up to 70 million individuals are caught annually, often by a terrible poaching method, with cutting off the fins from the still living fish. Without them, the shark is unable to swim and dies a slow death.

In many countries it is strictly forbidden to catch sharks just for the sake of fins. Fishermen are required to show the full catch, with a whole carcass. In this case, they butcher it for the sake of meat and skin, and not just for cutting off fins. This is considered a more humane way of capturing. Ecologists say that the capture of sharks on such a scale threatens the world population of this species of predatory fish. After all, fins for making soup are used from any shark, even from a rare whale. Bounty hunters are absolutely indifferent to the fate of these majestic and safe representatives of the marine fauna. Only a decrease in demand for this dish will benefit the ecology of the planet and the oceans, which depends on us.

The taste of shark fin soup

Everyone who tries this soup will call it delicious, but the most interesting thing is that if you remove the fins from it and leave the rest of the ingredients unchanged, then the taste of the dish will not change at all, only it will changeconsistency. Thanks to the elastic threads, the soup has a jelly-like structure, which makes it look like a jelly melted in a warm room.

By the way, many restaurateurs, thirsty for easy money, take advantage of this and serve a fake to guests on the table, replacing shark fin threads with "glass" rice noodles. A person who has never tried this dish is easy to deceive by slipping a substitute. The basis of the taste is made up of other types of meat and spices, which are indispensable components of the soup.

All that shark fins give to soup is viscosity, because if you make soup with only them, then it will have neither smell nor taste. Before you order an expensive and such a "he althy" shark fin soup in a restaurant (the photo is presented in the article), make sure that you are given a real dish, not a substitute.

Also consider whether eating soup once a day can have an impact on your he alth. After all, it is impossible to heal from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract if you drink one glass of mineral water from a source. So is it worth paying $200 for a bowl of soup just for the exotic, knowing that millions of living creatures in the ocean are being killed for your whim, and in a barbaric way?

How are fins prepared?

Most often, dried fins are used to make soup, which are obtained legally, checked and pre-cleaned from a tough skin. If you yourself caught a shark, for example, a Black Sea katran, then the fins will have to be at homeclean, remove the bones. A dark-colored fillet should remain, which turns white during the boiling process. The recipe for fresh shark fin soup requires pre-processing. For one pot of soup, use two or four fins.

Put prepared fins in a pot and pour boiling water over them. Set aside to infuse all night. Then the fins are washed under running water and soaked again, but in cold water. It is enough to hold for 2 or 3 hours, and then transfer to a 5-liter cooking pot and put on fire. To rid the fins of the smell of ammonia, add 1 peeled ginger root to the pan. You need to cook for 3 hours.

But that's not all. The resulting first broth is poured out and not used. Cool the fins and select all the cartilage from the fibers of the softened fin. They are golden brown in color. Then again put them in a saucepan, but already a 2-liter one, and cook the broth for another 5 hours. This time add 1 peeled ginger root and 1 peeled onion. The resulting broth is poured out again, and the shark cartilage is boiled again. Then leave them on a plate and dry. Only now can you start cooking the actual soup.

Shark fin soup recipe

When the fins are processed and ready to join the rest of the ingredients, dip them into separately cooked chicken broth, chop the chicken meat, s alt and spices to taste there. Simmer for another half an hour over low heat.

When serving, add sliced chicken breast - 150 grams, boiled pork ham - 150 grams and a few green onion feathers, finely chopped with a knife. You can use ham, and serve the finished soup with Chinese "black" eggs.

Cooking options

The main broth is cooked from chicken, pork tenderloin and knuckle in plenty of water. The broth is cooked like jelly, from 8 to 12 hours. Prepared fins are boiled separately together with crab meat for another 10 minutes, and then sent to the finished broth for another 1 minute.

It is recommended to eat infused soup, only the next day, but fresh soup is also tasty. If desired, you can add fresh herbs.

How to prepare dried fins?

To steam dried shark fins, you can put them in a double boiler for 1 hour. Then throw the workpiece into boiling water and leave it with the lid closed all night.

The fins are steamed from hot water, and it is easy to separate them into fibers, as well as get rid of small bones. Then they are washed and boiled in new water for another 2 hours. Then it is cooked with other ingredients according to the recipe.

People's opinions

According to reviews, shark fin soup is delicious, but it takes a long time to make. The fins themselves, after prolonged processing, completely get rid of taste and smell, add only viscosity to the soup. Thanks to other delicious ingredients - different types of meat, crab or shrimp, as well as herbs and spices - the soup is rich and tasty, reminiscent of jelly ormeat pudding.