Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 28: Tea Eggs (茶葉蛋)

Take one hundred chicken eggs1, add one liang of salt and coarse tea leaves. Boil for two incense sticks of time until done. If there are only fifty eggs, add five qian of salt, and increase or decrease the quantities of ingredients as required. They can be eaten as a snack.2 茶葉蛋 雞蛋百個，用鹽一兩、粗茶葉煮兩枝線香為度。如蛋五十個，只用五錢鹽，照數加減。可作點心。 Notes: 1This …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 27: Smoked Eggs (燻蛋)

Braise chicken eggs with seasonings1 until done. Slowly smoke them until dry, then slice and serve them on a plate as a side-dish. 燻蛋2 將雞蛋加作料煨好，微微燻乾，切片放盤中，可以佐膳3。 Notes: 1What seasonings were used? Not sure, but you can be sure it'll be something salty like soy sauce or brine. 2It is a mystery to me why this egg …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 26: Frogs (水雞)

Remove the body of the frog and use only the legs. First sear them in hot oil, add autumn sauce, sweet wine, and soy-pickled ginger, then serve. Its meat can also be pulled off and stir-fried. It tastes like chicken. 水雞1 水雞去身用腿，先用油灼之，加秋油、甜酒、瓜薑起鍋。或拆肉炒之，味與雞相似。 Notes: 1Shuiji (水雞), which literally translates as “water chicken” is used by Yuan …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 25: Fresh Razor Clams (鮮蟶)

The cooking method of razor clams are similar to that of giant clams. They can also be stir-fried. The household of He Chunchao makes such an incredible tofu in razor clam broth that it can be considered a masterpiece. 鮮蟶 烹蟶法與蛼螯同。單炒亦可。何春巢家蟶湯豆腐之妙，竟成絕品。

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 24: Cheng Zegong’s Dried Razor Clams (程澤弓蟶乾)

The merchant house of Cheng Zegong produces dried razor clam1, preparing them by soaking them in cold water for a day, boiling for two days, and squeezing out its liquids five times. A one inch long dried item, once rehydrated will be two inches long with the appearance a fresh razor clam, which can then …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 23: Giant Clam (蛼螯)

Slice some pork belly, then simmer them until soft with the right seasonings. Wash the clam and stir-fry with sesame oil, then add the pork slice and its juices to cook. One should add more autumn sauce when cooking so there is sufficient flavour. Tofu can also be added if desired. Giant clams are produced …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 22: Cockles(蚶)

Cockles can be prepared in three ways. Splash with boiling water and when they are half done1 and remove one shell and marinade them in wine and autumn sauce until they are “drunk”. Or they can be cooked in chicken broth by remove one shell and putting them into the broth. Finally, they can also …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 21: Venus Clams (蛤蜊)

Venus clams1 are very good shucked and stir-fried with garlic chives. They can also be cooked as a soup. Overcooking will make them dry and tough. 蛤蜊 剝蛤蜊肉加韭菜炒之佳。或為湯亦可2。起遲便枯。 Notes: 1A large family of clam species of the Family Veneridae. The term geli (蛤蜊) usually describes manila clams or Asian hard clams 2This could either mean …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 20: Steamed Shelled Crab (剝殼蒸蟹)

Shell an entire crab, take its meat and roe, and stuff it inside the carapace shell. Place five or six stuffed crabs on top of raw (chicken) egg and steam. When served at the table, the crab looks whole, less its claws and legs. This feels like a more novel take on stir-fried crab meat. …

Scaleless Aquatic Creatures 19: Stir-fried Crab Meat (炒蟹粉)

It best to stir-fry crab meat that has just been shelled.1 Four hours after shelling, the crab meat would have dried-up and lost its flavour. 炒蟹粉2 以現剝現炒之蟹為佳。過兩個時辰，則肉乾而味失。 Notes: 1This dish is likely what Yuan Mei's imitation crab recipe was trying to imitate (See River Delicacies 6: Imitation Crab) 2Xiefan (蟹粉), literally translates as “crab powder” …