This Chinese Fish Maw Soup is something I look forward to every time my family goes out for Chinese dinner. It has a thick and silky texture and is made with crab, fish maw, and egg whites. It usually comes with a side of red vinegar and I always add a little bit to my soup.
My family and I go out for Chinese dinner probably once a month and it always starts off with a big bowl of fish maw soup. I love the variety of textures in the soup. Some of the most common ingredients I see are crab meat, egg white, shrimp, and, of course, fish maw.
What is fish maw?
Fish maw is a dried fish product made from the swim bladder of fish. The swim bladder is what helps the fish float in water. Contrary to popular belief, the swim bladder is NOT filled with pee. It's filled with gas.
You can buy it at most Chinese grocery stores, but it's pretty expensive. Mine was about $14 for only 75 grams. To prepare it, you need to soak it in cold water for at least 4 hours. Then, use a knife or pair of scissors to cut it into small pieces.
Why you should make homemade chicken stock
I highly recommend making your own chicken stock. It will make the soup taste much better. In my first attempt, I used chicken bouillon powder only and the soup turned out way too artificial-tasting and salty. I actually ended up pouring out the soup and just eating the fish maw as a side dish.
For my second attempt, I made a homemade stock by boiling chicken drumsticks, green onions, and ginger for four hours. The soup was much more flavorful and it actually tasted really close to the restaurant.
How to thicken the soup
You need to add a good amount of cornstarch to give it a thick and glossy texture like the restaurants. I needed about ½ a cup for a whole pot of soup. Make sure to combine it with water first to prevent it from clumping. Once combined, just stir it into the soup, and it will thicken.
Chinese red vinegar
The version at restaurants is always served with a side of red vinegar. I bought a bottle from my local Chinese grocery store, and it tasted just like the restaurant. Here is the one I used:
However, upon further investigation, I found that the label says it's just rice vinegar with red food coloring. I have tried using plain rice vinegar before, but it did not taste the same. If you're looking for an authentic taste, then I'd recommend you get a bottle.
Chinese Fish Maw Soup
Ingredients
- 75 g dried fish maw (I bought mine from my local Chinese grocery store)
- 2 pounds chicken (I used chicken drumsticks)
- 5 slices ginger
- 3 green onions (cut into 3-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon MSG (optional)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 5 egg whites
- 2 cups crab meat
For serving
- Chinese red vinegar
Instructions
- Soak the fish maw in a large bowl of cold water overnight. Fish maw floats on water so cover it with a plate to keep it submerged.
- In a large pot, add 14 cups of water, chicken, ginger, and green onion. Bring to a boil then let it simmer on the lowest setting for 4 hours. Pour the stock through a strainer and discard the meat, bones, ginger, and scallions (you can eat the meat if you like but it does not have much flavor since it has transferred to the water).
- Return the stock to the pot. Cut the fish maw into ½-inch pieces and add it to the pot. Add the chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, and MSG, and cook for at least 40 minutes (see notes).
- Optional: Use an immersion blender to blend ½ of the fish maw into smaller pieces. I find this makes it taste closer to the texture of the restaurant.
- Combine the cornstarch with ½ cup of water and stir into the soup. Bring the soup back to a simmer and the soup should thicken.
- Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until combined. Slowly pour the egg whites into the pot while stirring the soup in one direction. This will distribute the egg whites into tiny strands.
- Stir in the crab meat, and enjoy!
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