Everyone has a few comfort dishes deep down. Seafood congee is that kind of dish for me. It’s not the easiest thing to make. But it is so soothing and nice, that I miss it if I don’t have it at least once a week. Although the dish is called seafood congee, it contains only a few ingredients – a handful of dried scallop and a few pieces of shrimp. However, it has such a rich flavor that you can hardly imagine it contains just water, and no chicken stock.
Dried scallop
The star of this dish is dried scallop (conpoy, 干贝). Dried scallop is made from the adductor muscles of scallops.Pungent and compact, it has a highly concentrated flavor of the sea. Different from dried shrimp, which are also widely used in Chinese cuisine, conpoy is known for its sweet and delicate aroma. Dried scallop is a common ingredient in Cantonese cuisine. In northern China, we use it to infuse a rich, savory flavor into congees, soups, and sauces without adding any meat or seafood to the dish. So you can see, dried scallop is more like a stock cube, only with a better taste. It’s also edible itself. There are two main types of conpoy: one made from river scallops and one made from sea scallops (also known as hotate in Japanese). We often use the river type, which has a milder and sweeter flavor. They won’t be particularly overwhelming in a light dish like this congee. It’s quite magical, that you only need a few pieces of dried scallop to create a rich broth or sauce within minutes. Dried scallop might not be a common ingredient in your pantry, but definitely grab it if you see it next time you’re at an Asian market. It lasts up to a year in the fridge, and even longer in the freezer. Whenever you’re out of stock or meat, just pop a few scallops into your soup. The rich flavor will surprise you! I found that cold appetizers, such as cucumber salad, potato strips salad, and Bang Bang chicken, go great with this congee. Want to learn more about Chinese Cooking? Sign up my newsletter to receive the 5-Day Chinese Cooking Crash Course and recipe update!
