Instructions: 1. Separately soak Chinese red dates and dried mushrooms.

2. Shred bacon, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, ginger root, soaked dates and mushrooms. Mince scallion stalk; crush garlic.

3. Pick up steps 1, 2 and 4 of "Basic Braised Soy Fish" (see recipe), but add salt and crushed garlic to heated oil before fish.

4. Arrange shredded ingredients and scallion on top of fish in pan. Add water, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, pepper and sesame oil. Bring to a boil; then simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

5. Shred lettuce and arrange on a serving platter. Place fish, with topping intact, on lettuce bed. Garnish with Chinese parsley and serve. VARIATIONS:

1. In step 4, add with shredded ingredients 1/2 teaspoon tangerine peel

(soaked), shredded. Omit the sesame oil.

2. When fish is done, transfer to a serving platter, as in step 5; then thicken liquids in saucepan with a cornstarch paste and pour sauce over.

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