Fish Maw Crab Soup (Easy 30-Min Chinese Collagen Soup)
蟹肉魚肚羹 (鱼膘羹) Fish Maw Crab Meat Soup is an easy and delicious collagen, and lean protein-rich Chinese recipe often served during Lunar New Year and special occasions. Its silky and creamy mouthfeel is irresistible. It is a densely nutritious, easy recipe that can be made with a few simple ingredients. This authentic Fish Maw Crab Meat Soup features tender fish maw (swim bladder) and sweet crab meat in a silky, collagen-rich broth. A traditional Cantonese soup is often served during Chinese New Year and special celebrations. This easy recipe requires overnight soaking but only 30 minutes of active cooking time.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 200g Dried Fish Maw, resuscitated, cut into smaller pieces
- 200g Crab Leg Meat or Canned Crab Meat
- 4 Large Dried Scallop, soak in water until softened
- 4 Large Dried Shiitake Mushroom, resuscitated, julienned (optional)
- 1L Chicken Broth or homemade stock
- 500ml water
- 2 Slices of Fresh Ginger
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper and more for serving
- Salt to taste
- 4 Stalks of Green Onions, cut in half
- Finely Chopped Green Onions for garnish
- Fresh Cilantro for garnish
- Chinese red vinegar 大红浙醋 for serving
- 3 tbsp Corn Starch
- 4 tbsp Water
Instructions
- 1
Soak the fish maw in water overnight in cold water.
- 2
Parboil in hot water with green onions and ginger slices to remove impurities and fishiness.
- 3
Dice large pieces of fish maw into smaller pieces.
- 4
Set aside in the refrigerator.
- 5
This can be prepared ahead of time.
- 6
If you plan to include dried shiitake mushrooms, learn how to rehydrate dried Chinese mushrooms.
- 7
Dried scallops do not need to be resuscitated overnight, unlike dry fish maw or dried Chinese mushrooms. Soak the dried scallops in water until softened before cooking.
- 8
And chicken broth, water and ginger slices in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- 9
Add rehydrated and parboiled fish maw.
- 10
Add crab meat to the pot of water. Mix well.
- 11
Add white ground pepper to the pot to remove any fishy smell from the fish maw.
- 12
Once the fish maw and crab soup starts boiling, slowly add cornstarch water to the pot. Mix well until it thickens and reaches the desired viscosity.
- 13
Add beaten egg whites to the soup slowly to create beautiful egg ribbons, fluffy swirls and flower-like patterns.
- 14
Add a pinch of salt to taste.
- 15
Serve in a large bowl along with a side of extra ground white pepper and Chinese red vinegar (大红浙醋), and a few slices of ginger.