Butterfly Pea & Longan Fish Scale Jelly

Name: Butterfly Pea & Longan Fish Scale Jelly
Yield: 300 g of fish scale fills roughly 8–10 jars (150 ml)
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 300 g ocharves fish scales; 1800 ml Water; Salt (for soaking) — to taste; White vinegar (for soaking) — to taste; 75 g Pandan leaves; Dried butterfly pea flowers — To taste; Honey rock sugar — To taste; Longan in syrup — To taste; Winter melon sugar — To taste; Goji berries — To taste

Dried butterfly pea flowers go straight into the pot and, together with the pandan, give this one the most striking colour in the range — blue shot through with green, and lovely held up to the light once bottled. Honey rock sugar is the only sweetener, and a tin of longan in syrup goes in at the end so the fruit settles at the bottom of the jar.

Ingredients

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De-fishing ingredient (pick one)

These two are the only de-fishing ingredients we recommend. Choose whichever you have.

Flavour add-ins (mix and match)

Tap what you want to add — one of them, or both together. The amounts rescale with everything else.

ocharves fish scales300 g
Large or medium — the method is identical
Water1.8 L
Fixed ratio: 100 g scales : 600 ml water
Pandan leaves75 g
Weight = 25% of the fish scale weight
Salt (for soaking)to taste
Used only in the soak — it does not go in the pot
White vinegar (for soaking)to taste
Any food-grade white vinegar is applicable
Dried butterfly pea flowersTo taste
The star of this one. The dried flowers go straight in with the fish scales and give the signature blue-green
Honey rock sugarTo taste
The only sugar in this recipe. Free to redeem with points in the member Gifts section (Chek Hup Honey Rock Sugar 250 g)
Longan in syrupTo taste
Add the fruit and its syrup together, then boil briefly; it is already sweet, so use less sugar

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
ocharves fish scales	300 g	Large or medium — the method is identical
Water	1.8 L	Fixed ratio: 100 g scales : 600 ml water
Pandan leaves	75 g	Weight = 25% of the fish scale weight
Salt (for soaking)	to taste	Used only in the soak — it does not go in the pot
White vinegar (for soaking)	to taste	Any food-grade white vinegar is applicable
Dried butterfly pea flowers	To taste	The star of this one. The dried flowers go straight in with the fish scales and give the signature blue-green
Honey rock sugar	To taste	The only sugar in this recipe. Free to redeem with points in the member Gifts section (Chek Hup Honey Rock Sugar 250 g)
Longan in syrup	To taste	Add the fruit and its syrup together, then boil briefly; it is already sweet, so use less sugar

Method

Step 1 · Prepare the flavour ingredients

Prepare the flavourings you are using

1Butterfly pea: the dried flowers need no soaking and no separate tea — once the fish scales are in the pot, scatter a handful straight in and let them simmer together. The liquid turns blue-green as it cooks.
2Longan in syrup (optional): once the simmer is done, and before you lift out the fish scales and pandan, tip in the fruit along with its syrup and let it come back to the boil briefly. The syrup is already sweet, so go lighter on the honey rock sugar.
3Winter melon sugar (optional): add it with the honey rock sugar after straining for a rounder, cane-like sweetness.
4Goji berries (optional): add with the sugar and simmer about 5 minutes.

Step 2 · Clean the fish scales

1Put the scales in a basin, cover with water, add salt and white vinegar to taste, stir and leave to soak.
2Pour away the dirty soaking water, then rub the scales between your hands under running water.
3Change the water and repeat until it runs completely clear — clear water is the only thing you need to look for.
4Drain the cleaned scales.

Black dots on the scales are fish skin. They are perfectly normal and do not need to be picked out. The only test that matters is that the water runs clear.

Step 3 · Simmer

All three work — use whichever you have at home.

1Line the base of the pot with the pandan (or dried lemon), add the cleaned scales, then the measured water.
2Bring to a rolling boil and keep boiling for 15 minutes.
3Turn the heat down low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Measure all the water in before you start. Never top up water once cooking has begun — it will stop the jelly from setting.

If you have a cooking bag

Put the scales and the de-fishing ingredient into the cooking bag, then tie the opening repeatedly and firmly so it cannot leak or come loose while cooking. At the end you simply lift the bag out — no straining needed.

Let it cool a little — you will see the scales have curled up, which means the collagen has been fully released. Strain and keep only the collagen liquid; the scales and leaves are no longer needed.

Step 4 · Bottle and store

1Pour the collagen liquid into clean glass bottles (glass chills more evenly than plastic).
2Let it cool, then close the lids.
3Refrigerate overnight until set.
4Keeps refrigerated for roughly 2 to 3 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I buy honey rock sugar and winter melon sugar?+

Both are free to redeem with your points in the ocharves member Gifts section — Chek Hup Honey Rock Sugar (250 g) and Chek Hup Candied Melon (250 g). Sign in and open the Gifts page from the top menu; anything you redeem ships free inside your order. Ordinary rock sugar also works as a substitute.

Should I pick pandan or dried lemon to take the fishiness out?+

Pandan, for this one. The green of the pandan against the blue of the butterfly pea is what produces the signature blue-green. Dried lemon removes the fishiness just as well, but the colour comes out a greyer blue and loses that clarity.

How much butterfly pea should I use?+

There is no fixed amount — it depends how blue you want it. Start with a small handful, bring it to the boil, then look at the colour and top up. Butterfly pea is essentially colour without flavour, so more or less makes no difference to the taste or the set.

Why did mine come out green rather than blue?+

The colour is the pandan green mixed with the butterfly pea blue, so the ratio between them decides which way it leans. Use more butterfly pea for a bluer result. Note too that butterfly pea turns purple in the presence of acid, which is why lemon and passion fruit do not belong in this recipe.

Can I use fresh longan instead of tinned?+

Yes. The video uses tinned longan in syrup, poured in syrup and all. With fresh longan, peel and pit it, add it at the same point — just before you lift out the fish scales — and let it boil briefly, then make up the missing sweetness with a little more honey rock sugar.

More flavours

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Lemongrass & Lychee Fish Scale Jelly

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Red Date & Longan Fish Scale Jelly

Bottled winter melon sugar and rose fish scale jelly with rose petals and goji

Winter Melon Sugar & Rose Fish Scale Jelly

This recipe uses ocharves deep-sea dried fish scales (large or medium).

ocharves (Ocean Harvester Ventures Sdn Bhd) is a Malaysian brand from Penang specialising in halal-certified, lab-tested deep-sea dried fish scale collagen. For the full method see How to cook fish scale jelly.