Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Steamed Scallops with Garlic
251 kcal a serving, against 384 for the traditional version. That is 133 kcal off, or 35%, with 18.1g of protein. Serves 4. 20 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Fresh scallops steamed on the half shell, resting on a bed of rehydrated rice vermicelli. The seafood is buried under a mountain of raw minced garlic and spring onions, then drowned in a heavy pour of smoking hot oil that cooks the aromatics directly on the plate and creates a rich, fatty sauce.
What changed, and what each change costs
80g of hot frying oil down to 15g, plus a drop of sesame oil
The seafood itself is basically pure protein and water. Every single gram of fat in the original dish comes from that final dramatic pour of oil. Cutting it right down clears away the grease and lets the sweet scallop juices shine. I add a tiny drop of sesame oil to make up for the lost richness.
What it costs you. You completely lose the aggressive, violent sizzle at the table. Without a massive slick of fat coating your tongue, the raw garlic tastes much sharper. What you've got is a very clean, sharp starter. A rich banquet centrepiece anymore is a different dish and you know where to find it.
Relying purely on soy sauce and scallop juices for the dressing
Often restaurants bulk out the sauce with extra sugar and oil to keep the noodles slick. I use a simple mix of soy sauce and a tiny pinch of sugar to dress the noodles, letting the natural cooking juices do the heavy lifting.
What it costs you. The noodles will dry out much faster on the plate. You've got to eat this immediately, which you should be doing with hot seafood anyway.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 384 | 251 |
| Protein | 18.1g | 18.1g |
| Fat | 20.9g | 5.9g |
| Saturated fat | 2.3g | 0.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 30.4g | 30.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.7g | 7.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, molluscs, sesame, soybeans.
The method is in the book
This dish is an easy win. Scallops are expensive, and drowning them in half a cup of cheap vegetable oil has always seemed like a crime to me. By stripping the fat right back, the sweet flavour of the shellfish actually comes forward. The garlic hit is completely uncompromising, and the rice noodles do a fantastic job of mopping up the soy dressing. You get a massive protein return for very few calories, and it still looks impressive enough to serve to guests. Just make sure you get the timings right, because cold steamed seafood is miserable.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback