372 Shark and Company 



"Chinese cooks derive their knowledge more from experience than 

 from books, and trust to the hand, the eye, the nose, the tongue and 

 often to the ear as well, rather than depend on the scale or the watch." 



Their food, he points out, may seem exotic to the Western palate. 

 But the food is also immensely rich, both in nutrition and taste. Of 

 shark fin, he notes, 100 grams contain 384 calories and high percentages 

 of proteins, calcium, and phosphorus. "Well prepared, it is not only 

 most delicious to the palate, but also most wholesome to the system." 



He judges the shark fin of the PhiUppines, the "Manila Yellow," 

 the best for preparation of The Shark Fin Dish. His instructions for 

 its preparation: 



1. Soak the fin in cold water for 3 days to soften it. 



2. Simmer for 4 to 5 hours until its skin comes off and the fin (the 

 inner cartilage) can be removed. The water must be changed every 15 

 minutes during the first hour, and every 30 minutes during the following 

 hours. 



3. Gently clean the fin so that nothing remains except the translucent 

 cartilage crescent itself. 



4. When it is absolutely clean, place it, intact, on a net made of fine 

 silver wire so that it will not loosen and fall apart during subsequent 

 stages of preparation. (Dr. Cheng points out that a rack or net of bamboo 

 is sometimes used. But this is inferior, for an infinitesimal trace of a 

 bamboo taste may be imparted to the fin.) 



5. Simmer the fin again for three-quarters of an hour with 2 slices 

 of green ginger, a few pieces of spring onion, and 1 glass of wine, 

 preferably sherry. Change the water twice. 



6. Put the fin in a double boiler with % pound of ham and pork and 

 the meat of 1 fresh chicken. Add 1 glass of wine, preferably sherry, 

 and 2 cups of water. Cook over a medium fire until the fin is tender- 

 about 3 hours. (If the fin is overdone, it will melt.) 



7. Remove the fin carefully and place it in a pan. Discard the juice 

 it was cooked in. Pour over it a previously prepared bouillon consisting 

 of a cut-up fresh chicken and 3 ounces of cut-up lean ham, all cooked 

 without water in a double boiler. Cook this combination of fin and 

 concentrated bouillon for about 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of soya 

 sauce. Serve hot. (The last stage should be so timed that The Shark Fin 

 Dish can be served immediately.) 



Dr. Cheng calls this dish Hung Shau. Few amateur chefs would 

 attempt it. Shark Fin Soup is a challenge even in its simplest form. For 

 the less adventurous cook who does not want to cope with the cleaning 

 of a shark fin, the cartilaginous fibers are available in gourmet specialty 

 houses in packaged form. Using this pre-cleaned, packaged shark fin 



