Shark Fin Soup has been an essential for Chinese banquets for over 800 years.
The reason is simple - the cost. It has been a way for the very wealthy to
boast of their wealth. Here in California, Chinese restaurants were serving
Shark Fin Soup for 2011 US $80 to over $100 per bowl, and in
Hong Kong prices ranging from 2011 US $300 to $750 per bowl have been
reported. See our 2011 article
Chinese Restaurateurs Protest Shark Fin Ban
This has been very hard on the sharks, especially given the methods used in Asia for harvesting, just cutting off the fins and tossing the shark back to die. This has caused a backlash against shark fin soup in just about the whole world, except, of course, China.
Today, in California, Hawaii, Guam, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Rhode Island,if you get caught in posession of Shark Fin, or serving Shark Fin Soup, you may not be finned, but you certainly will be fined, and heavily. In all US fisheries, if you are caught with shark fins that are not attached to a shark you intend use all of, you are in deep trouble.
Consequently, artificial Shark Fin has been developed and is quite available. This is easy, because the shark fin provides no flavor to the soup, just some texture. Unfortunately, the artificial product is not at all acceptable for the banquet dish, because it is not outrageously expensive.
More on Seafood Products.
Most folks, including street vendors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong,
use Bean Thread Noodles. I found one Singapore recipe recommending "Korean
Glass Noodles", which suggested to me she could mean thin Korean Sweet Potato
Noodles. I had those on hand (where I live has evolved into a Korea Town),
and found them far superior to Bean Threads in size, color and flavor. They
are shown in the photo, and are 0.060 inch (1.5 mm) in diameter.
These substitutes are not quite the right texture, as real shark fin is said to be both gelatinous and brittle. More accurate substitutes have been made experimentally, but are not considered worth the added cost. Today, nobody except an eco-criminal would detect the difference.
Artificial Shark Fin is a lot easier. That in the photo at the top of this page can just be thawed and rinsed and put into the soup any time, as it is quite firm, and still quite firm after an hour of simmering, possibly a bit too firm.
For Bean Threads, just a soak in cool water until softened, and then 2 minutes in the broth before serving. Korean Sweet Potato Noodles should be soaked somewhat longer, then added to the soup for about 8 minutes of final cooking. Bean Threads are fairly durable in cooking, and Sweet Potato Noodles even more so, so timing is not real critical.
The Chinese hold that Shark Fin improves dong endurance, prevents cancer and heart disease, improves skin quality, provides energy, and a whole lot of other things. Scientific investigation has been able to confirm none of these, but cautions that high concentrations of Neurotoxin BMAA found in shark fin may contribute to Dementia. Also, shark, being a top predator, Mercury concentration is an issue, and too much Shark Fin is suspected of causing male sterility.
Artificial Shark Fin offers none of these health impacts, but it's like in Japan with Fugu. Fugu fish can be raised without the deadly toxins, but without the deadly toxins, the Japanese are uninterested. The excitement of the risk of death, and the extremely high cost of Fugu prepared by a licensed chef contribute essential elements to flavor and enjoyment.
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