Milky white fish soup

Chop the fish bones into 1.5-inch pieces.

Cut the scallions into 1.5-inch pieces and slice the ginger thinly; reserve a third of each.

In a bowl, rub the bones with two thirds of the scallion and ginger, 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine and 4 tablespoons cornstarch for 3 to 5 minutes, wearing gloves, to remove unpleasant smells.

Rinse off the starch under running water until it runs clear, discarding the aromatics; drain completely and dry the bones with paper towels.

Heat the wok on high until smoking, swirl in a drizzle of oil, spread the bones out and pan fry until golden brown.

Add the reserved scallions and ginger.

Pour in 4 cups of boiling water and keep the heat on high so it bubbles hard and the broth turns white.

Cover and cook on medium 6 to 8 more minutes.

Strain out the solids with a sieve; season with a little salt at the very end, and white pepper if wanted.

Garnish with diced scallion.