Sea bass, tofu and crown daisy soup
A clear, quick soup of silky sea bass, soft tofu and fragrant crown daisy — a light reset after a season of hotpots and roast meats.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types who've had their fill of winter hotpots and roast meats often get a bitter taste and breakouts. Crown daisy clears heat and phlegm, tofu clears heat and moistens, and sea bass strengthens the spleen and drains water. Quick and oil-free, this soup is an ideal reset around the solstice.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Slice the sea bass thickly on the diagonal and toss with a pinch of salt, the cornflour and sesame oil. Leave for 10 minutes.
- 2Pick off any tough crown daisy stems, rinse and cut into lengths. Cut the tofu into pieces and the spring onion into sections.
- 3Bring the water to the boil with the ginger and spring onion, add the tofu and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- 4Add the fish one slice at a time. When the soup returns to the boil, add the crown daisy and cook for 1 minute until wilted.
- 5Season with the remaining salt, turn off the heat straight away and serve with rice.
Cautions
- If your stomach runs cold and you tend to loose stools, add a couple more slices of ginger.
Chef's tips
- Add the crown daisy last and cook it for just a minute — any longer and it darkens and loses its fragrance.
The TCM view
Crown daisy is pungent, sweet and neutral, clearing heat and phlegm, harmonising the stomach and promoting urination; tofu is sweet and cool, clearing heat and moistening; sea bass is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and draining water; a little ginger removes fishiness. Light and slightly cooling, it suits damp-heat types on winter evenings.
