Traditional Chinese Milky White Fish Soup Secret 魚湯秘訣

Traditional Chinese Milky White Fish Soup Secret 奶白色魚湯秘訣 is a comforting and nutritious dish for its silky, rich flavour and creamy, milky white appearance. This delicious fish stock made without dairy is a prime example of how a few simple ingredients can transform into something extraordinary, thanks to traditional Chinese culinary techniques. It is high in protein, calcium, vitamin A, B1, B2, B12, niacin, phosphorus and iron.

> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Chinese Fish Soup Recipe

Chinese white fish soup is a signature postpartum recipe in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This soup is perfect for new moms who have just given birth to promote milk production (lactation), but it is also excellent for anyone looking to replenish depleted nutrients and warm the body. The broth relies on the natural sweetness of the fish with minimal seasoning.

Check out this quick story summary of our recipe!

Jump to:

• > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Chinese Fish Soup Recipe
• The Secret Behind the Milky White Soup
• What Fish Is White Fish?
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Instructions
• What To Serve With Chinese Fish Soup with Tofu and Napa Cabbage
• > Recipe Card
• Traditional Chinese Milky White Fish Soup Secret 魚湯秘訣

The Secret Behind the Milky White Soup

What is the secret to making this Chinese fish soup look creamy and white? This traditional Chinese culinary technique makes a velvety milky fish soup bowl that requires no dairy milk products. The secret to achieving the opulent opaque broth is emulsifying fresh fish oils and bones over high heat.

Pan-fry the whole fish until golden brown, then rapidly boil the fish, often including fish bones, at high heat. This process extracts the natural oils and gelatin from the bones and skin, blending them seamlessly with the water to create a luscious, creamy texture.

It doesn't matter whether you use cold or boiling water to achieve a white fish broth. Using boiling water expedites the cooking process.

What Fish Is White Fish?

Milky White Fish Soup's success depends on the quality of its ingredients. Fresh, high-quality fish is essential because the soup has a clean and delicate flavour. We typically use a white-fleshed fish. The natural flavors of the fish are sweet, such as grass carp (鯇魚, Huàn yú), crucian carp (鲫鱼 jìyú), snakehead (生魚 Shēng yú) or sea bass (鱸魚, Lúyú). We prefer using golden threadfin bream (紅衫魚, Hóng shān yú).

If unsure, visit your local fishmonger or Asian supermarket and ask for white fish for soup making. If fresh fish are not available, chances there are frozen milky white fish in the frozen section.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Cooking a pot of nutritious creamy Chinese fish bone soup recipe is convenient for supporting good health and boosting essential nutrients. 

Fresh White Fish - Make this authentic white milky fish soup with your favourite white fish. Opt for cleaned whole fish with guts, scales and gills removed. If using a small fish, consider getting another one. Using fish heads is a great and economical option.

Fresh Green Onions - fresh spring onions are added to the Chinese cooking process to remove fishiness.

Fresh Ginger - fresh ginger slices are added to the Chinese cooking process to remove fishiness. Ginger is a natural antibiotic that dispels wind-cold and adds warmth and circulation, according to TCM.

Ground White Pepper - Add a touch of group white pepper to enhance the soup's natural flavours. Avoid heavy spices because they can overpower the delicate sweetness of the Chinese milky fish soup.

Kosher Salt - add to taste.

Boiled Hot Water - Use boiled hot water to accelerate emulsification and cooking. However, remember that a creamy milky fishbone broth does not depend on whether cold or hot water is used. The milky white water depends on how well-cooked the fish is.

Optional Ingredients

Some Chinese fish soup recipes include tofu, napa cabbage, goji berries, and tomatoes. These ingredients enhance the fish broth's freshness and provide extra vitamins.

Optional Garnish Ingredients

• Finely Chopped Green Onions
• Fresh Cilantro
• Fresh Organic Tofu (medium-firm or firm)

Most dry goods ingredients, tools, and supplies can be purchased at local Asian markets, Chinese grocery stores, or Amazon Online. Amazon Prime members receive free shipping and faster delivery times.

Instructions

This is a quick and straightforward method for making a delicious bowl of high protein white fish soup every time! Just three main ingredients make the best Chinese-style fish soup. It is suitable for all ages—kids and the elderly. Follow our step-by-step instructions, and your Chinese ginger fish soup recipe will burst with flavour! The taste is incredibly fresh and sweet!

How To Make Chinese Fish Soup

Wash and clean baby napa cabbage and green onion.

Peel fresh ginger with a spoon. Slice or julienne ginger.

Properly wash fish before cooking.

First, bleed the fish. Then, remove fish scales and entrails. Trim and remove the fins and the head.

Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper towels.

If using frozen fish, first defrost the fish in the refrigerator. Wash and pat dry.

Add oil to a stock pot or wok.

Add a generous amount of cooking oil to a pot and heat on medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the main ingredients.

First, add ginger and green onions (white part) to fragrant the pot. You will smell the aroma.

Turn up the temperature to medium-high heat.

Add whole or sliced fish into the pot and pan-fry until golden brown - approximately 3-5 mins. You may need to add more oil. Add enough so that the fish meat can absorb everything.

Break it apart and allow it to absorb the oil - another 2-3 minutes.

Add in boiling hot water. Let it boil vigorously for at least 15 minutes. If the soup is drying out, add enough water to continue boiling.

There is no need to add chicken stock, milk or cream. The creamy white milky broth is solely the result of an emulsion of gelatin and fat from the skin and bones of the cooking fish. This recipe shows that you can make a good broth without fancy ingredients!

Sieve out fish bones with a fine mesh bouillon strainer before adding other ingredients like baby napa cabbage or cubed tofu.

Cook until soft.

Pro Tip: You can make this milky fish soup in one pot instead of using two pots. For example, pan-fry the fish in a good wok, remove the fish bones, and finish it in another stock pot. Personally, I like leaving all the pieces of fish until serving, which yields the tastiest Chinese cabbage fish soup!

Salt and ground white pepper to taste.

Serve and enjoy hot!

Other Fish Recipes You'll Love

If you love this delicious milky fish soup recipe with tofu and baby napa cabbage, you may also like our blog's Chinese fish maw soup recipe. It takes little time and minimum effort to nail delicious, kid-approved dinner ideas that require almost no clean-up! 

Here are our reader's favourites:

• Chinese Fish Paste Stuffed Peppers 煎讓三寶
• Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls 港式咖哩魚蛋 (街頭小食)
• Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Fresh Cilantro and Mangoes

What To Serve With Chinese Fish Soup with Tofu and Napa Cabbage

This great recipe is a flavourful side dish. It goes perfectly with some ramen or rice noodles. You can instantly make a Chinese fish noodle soup from it.

Otherwise, this fish soup would be excellent with some Dried Scallops and Egg White Fried Rice 瑤柱蛋白炒飯.

Complete the meal with the following delicious dishes.

• Air Fried Chinese BBQ Pork 氣炸鍋蜜汁叉燒
• Chinese Steamed Chicken With Shiitake Mushrooms 冬菇蒸雞
• Instant Pot Braised Chinese Mushrooms 髮菜炆冬菇食譜
• Microwave Soy Sauce Chicken Wings 豉油雞翅微波爐
• Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-fry 番茄炒蛋

After eating lots of heavy, rich, and deep-fried foods, a great way to reduce bloating and heat is with a bowl of this liver-detoxing Chinese Sweet Mung Bean Soup 綠豆沙 or Hawthorn Goji Berry Tea Digestion Tea 山楂杞子茶 that aids digestion.

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