Chinese-Style White Fish with Wood Ear Mushrooms
Wood ear mushrooms are all about texture. They stay snappy and slightly crisp even after cooking, and they soak up sauce without going soft the way button mushrooms would. Pair them with velveting, which is just a short cornstarch coating that keeps the fish tender while it hits a hot pan, and you get a dish that tastes like it came from a proper Cantonese kitchen but comes together in your own in about half an hour.
- Total
- 35 to 40 minutes
- Serves
- 4
Recipe
Chinese-Style White Fish with Wood Ear Mushrooms
- Prep
- 20 to 30 minutes, including soaking
- Cook
- 10 minutes
- Total
- 35 to 40 minutes
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
For the mushrooms and aromatics
For the sauce
For serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Soak the wood ears
Cover the dried mushrooms with hot water and let them sit 20 to 30 minutes, until fully plumped. Trim off any tough little stems where they attached to the log, then tear or cut into bite-sized pieces. Rinse and drain well, because dried wood ears hide grit in their folds.
- 2
Velvet the fish
Pat the fillets completely dry and cut them into 2-inch chunks. Toss gently with the salt, wine, and egg white, then the cornstarch, until each piece is lightly coated. Refrigerate for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
- 3
Mix the sauce
Stir the stock, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper together in a small bowl and keep it near the stove. Have the slurry ready too, because once you start cooking, things move fast.
- 4
Sear the fish
Film a wok or large nonstick skillet with oil and heat it over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the fish in a single layer and let it sear undisturbed for about 90 seconds per side, just until opaque. It does not need to be cooked through. Scoop it out to a plate. It finishes in the sauce.
- 5
Build the dish
Add the tablespoon of oil to the same pan and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the wood ears and toss for a minute or two, until they pick up a little color.
- 6
Sauce and finish
Pour in the sauce mixture and let it bubble for a minute. Give the slurry a quick restir, add it, and stir until the sauce turns glossy and lightly thick. Return the fish to the pan, spoon the sauce over it, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the fish is opaque, flakes easily, and reaches 145°F in the thickest piece. Off the heat, drizzle with the sesame oil and scatter the scallion greens over the top. Serve over rice if using.
Estimated nutrition
Per serving (1 of 4)
- Calories
- 186 kcal
- Protein
- 22.6 g
- Carbs
- 8.4 g
- Fat
- 6.6 g
Calculated from the listed amounts. Optional or unmeasured additions are excluded; brands, substitutions, and cooking losses can change the result.
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Chinese-Style White Fish with Wood Ear Mushrooms
Nutrition · Per serving (1 of 4)
- Protein
- 22.6 g
- Carbs
- 8.4 g
- Fat
- 6.6 g
186 Cal
Estimated · optional extras excluded
Chinese-Style White Fish with Wood Ear Mushrooms
Soak the wood ears
Cover the dried mushrooms with hot water and let them sit 20 to 30 minutes, until fully plumped. Trim off any tough little stems where they attached to the log, then tear or cut into bite-sized pieces. Rinse and drain well, because dried wood ears hide grit in their folds.
All ingredients · 17
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Shortcuts and substitutions
No wood ears
Use fresh shiitakes (stems removed, caps sliced) or even cremini mushrooms. The texture shifts from snappy to meaty, but the dish still works. Whatever you use, cook them until they've given up their water and started to brown, or they'll make the sauce watery.
No Shaoxing wine
Dry sherry is the closest swap. In a pinch, use a teaspoon of rice vinegar cut with a teaspoon of water, or just skip it.
Skip the velveting
You can, but the fish is more likely to flake apart and turn dry. If you skip it, omit the egg white and the fish-coating cornstarch, keep the fish chilled, and skip the sear in step 4. Add the raw fish to the simmering sauce in step 6 and poach gently until it reaches 145°F. Allow extra cooking time for thicker pieces.
Frozen fish
Thaw it completely, then press it between paper towels until it's very dry. Wet fish steams instead of sears and the coating slides right off.
Gluten-free
Use gluten-free tamari and check that your stock is gluten-free. Shaoxing wine can contain wheat, so choose a gluten-free version or use dry sherry, and check the labels on all packaged ingredients.
Fresh wood ears
Sometimes you can find them in Asian markets. Skip the soaking, trim them, and proceed. They're slightly more tender than the dried kind, so shave a minute off their stir-fry time.
Recipe notes
Prep the fish, aromatics, sauce, and slurry while the wood ears soak. Allow up to 40 minutes if the mushrooms need the full 30-minute soak.
Estimated nutrition is for 1 of 4 portions, using cod and chicken stock as the first listed options. It includes an allowance for retained cooking oil and excludes optional rice.
Dry fish, hot pan
Those two things matter more than anything else here. The velveting layer needs to set the second it hits the oil or it'll slough off into the sauce.
Don't overcook it
White fish goes from silky to chalky fast. Pull it at the sear stage when it's barely opaque. The final minute in the sauce carries it over the line.
Prep everything first
This is a classic stir-fry rhythm: long soaking, short cooking. Once the pan is hot you won't have time to mince garlic. Have it all in little bowls, restaurant-style, before you turn on the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do wood ear mushrooms taste like?
Not much on their own, honestly. Mild and slightly earthy. Their job is texture. They stay pleasantly crunchy and carry the ginger-garlic sauce beautifully.
Where do I find dried wood ears?
Any Asian grocery store, usually in small bags near the dried shiitakes. They're inexpensive and keep well in a cool, dry pantry. Follow the package's storage guidance.
Why did my fish fall apart?
Either the pieces were too small, the pan wasn't hot enough when they went in, or it got stirred instead of gently turned. Use a wide spatula, flip once, and leave it alone.
Is this dish spicy?
No, it's savory and aromatic. If you want heat, add a spoonful of chili crisp at the table or a sliced fresh chili with the ginger in step 5.
