Succulent Chinese Seafood Delight Recipe

Seafood delight is a beautiful and delicate no carb dish. In a classic version of the meal, there are simple ingredients, like bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and shrimp, but also more unusual ingredients like shaoxing are involved too.

If you are familiar with Chinese ingredients, you will have no trouble creating this salty dish, but it might take you a while to find the ingredients if you are new to this magnificent country’s delicious flavors.

Don’t be put off! Once you have these delights in your home, you’ll be grabbing them for every meal.

I’ve said before that this dish is carbless, but if you’ve been served this dish at a restaurant, then you might want to create something a little more dazzling. It has become popular for the seafood delight to be placed in an edible nest!

The nest is made from Taro, a type of root vegetable similar to a potato. If creating a showstopper sounds right up your alley, scroll down to the bottom of this page to find my bonus recipe!

If you want to learn the traditional recipe first, check out my authentic Chinese seafood (check out our chinese scallop recipe) delight recipe below.

Chinese Seafood Delight Recipe

Grab a basket because it’s time to go shopping. This recipes’ ingredient list is long!

Serving Size	4 Servings
Total Time	30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Squid – 1 lb 
• Vegetable Oil – 4 Tbsp
• Large Onion – 1 – Peeled and diced
• Fresh Ginger – 4 oz – Peeled and thinly sliced
• Garlic Cloves – 5 – Minced
• Carrots – 1 ½ cups – Peeled and thinly sliced
• Bamboo Shoots – 1 cup (check out our bamboo shoots recipe)
• Straw Mushrooms – 225 g or 1 ¾ cups
• Snow Peas – 6 oz – Cut to in half
• Shaoxing Wine – 3 Tbsp – Sometimes known as Chinese Wine
• Sesame Oil – 3 Tbsp
• Medium Sized Shrimp – 1 lb – Peeled and deveined but with the tails still intact 
• Baby Scallops – 1 lb
• Vegetable or Fish Broth – 1 Cup
• Cornstarch – 2 Tbsp
• Scallions – 2 cups – Cut lengthwise into thin strips
• Salt
• Peper
• Sugar

Phew, remember to take a breath after reading that list!

Method:

1. Blanch the squid by putting it into boiling water for one minute.
2. Remove from the water, and set it aside to cool on a kitchen paper towel.
3. When the squid is cool enough, cut them down to ¼ inch in size. 
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan for one minute or until it is hot.
5. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté for around 3 minutes on a medium heat. Remember to stir.
6. Add the carrots, and cook for 2 minutes. Remember to stir.
7. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for 1 minute. Remember to stir.
8. Add the straw mushrooms and the snow peas and cook for a further minute. Stir continuously. 
9. Add the Shaoxing wine and the sesame oil. Cook for 30 seconds.
10. Move the temperature to Medium-High.
11. Add the shrimp, scallops, and squid, and mix them into the pan, so there is an even distribution of heat.
12. Cover the pan with a lid to allow the heat to reach every ingredient.
13. Leave for a minute.
14. Uncover the pan, add the stock, and stir. 
15. Let the stock boil, and then cover the pan with the lid.
16. Leave for 2 minutes.
17. While you wait, mix the cornstarch with ½ cup of water to create a slurry.
18. Uncover the pan again and stir.
19. Create a well in the middle of the pan and add the slurry. This will thicken the sauce.
20. Reduce the heat to medium, and stir.
21. Add a pinch of sugar, a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of pepper, then stir.
22. Serve and enjoy!

The method might seem long, but that’s only because some ingredients take longer to cook than others. Many of the steps above are just different times to add the ingredients into the frying pan. In general, the cooking time is only 15 minutes.

If that recipe seems relatively easy and you want to try your hand at making the edible nest to plate the delight on, then check out this bonus recipe!

How To Make An Edible Nest

You can use this for anything, but it works perfectly with the Chinese seafood delight! I would recommend making the nest before you make the delight, as the process is a little fiddly.

Ingredients:

• Taro – One per serving
• Water
• Vegetable Oil – 6 cups

Method:

1. Peel the taro using a julienne peeler to create small stick cuts.
2. The taro will be wet after peeling. Keep them this way. If the taro gets dry, dampen them with some water.
3. Use a large steel mesh strainer to guide your shape, and create a criss-cross pattern with the taro. Make sure the strands overlap each other to create a woven basket.
4. Take a second steel mesh strainer of the same size and place it over the top of the woven nest you have created. The strands should be sandwiched between the two strainers.
5. Pour the oil into a large wok and heat it to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. When the oil has reached the desired temperature, place the nest (with the strainers holding it together) into the oil.
7. Tilt the strainers, so the basket gets an even distribution. 
8. When the nest is golden brown, you can lift it from the oil.
9. Place the nest onto a kitchen paper towel to dry.
10. Start cooking your nest’s filler.

You can use this nest recipe for almost anything, but taro is a perfect side for seafood dishes. 

No matter what dish you use this nest for, you are sure to create an impressive and show-stopping meal.

Shrimp and egg recipe is another delicious recipe I highly recommend for you!