China · Home-style
Braised Fish Head
A generous home-cooked fish head, chopped through the bone and simmered with ginger, scallion and an aged vinegar until the broth is savoury and slightly hot.
Fish head is what many families save from the fishmonger rather than a choice in itself, and the whole head is chopped with a heavy cleaver, which needs confidence. The long marinade in salt and soy is what softens the flesh and the connective tissue, so the clock starts well before the wok does. The broth is finished by being spooned over the fish so it carries the ginger and vinegar with it.
Ingredients
- large scallion200 g
- ginger80 g
- garlic cloves4 pieces
- chilli peppers4 pieces
- coriander4 pieces
Directions
- 1
Wash the scallion, ginger, garlic, coriander and chilli peppers.
- 2
Rinse the dried chillies and star anise quickly.
- 3
Cut the large scallion in half. Cut the back half, the white part, into lengths of about 4 cm. First cut the front half, the green part, into lengths, then split each length into four.
- 4
Slice the ginger, each piece about 3 mm thick.
- 5
Crush the garlic.
- 6
Take two sprigs of coriander, remove the roots and chop them into 1.5 cm pieces.
- 7
Cut the chilli peppers into rings 3 mm thick.
- 8
Cut the dried chillies into four lengths each.
- 9
Turn up to high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- 10
Turn down to medium and simmer slowly so the flavours soak in.
- 11
When the liquid has halved, take the lid off.
- 12
Turn up to high and reduce; when a third of the liquid is left, turn off the heat and turn everything into a small basin.
- 13
Note: ladle the broth evenly over the fish head, and when plating you can lay the coriander that was cooked in the wok in the bottom of the basin, which makes the finished dish look better and taste better.
- 14
Set the coriander on top of the fish you have already turned out, and lay the sliced chilli rings over the coriander.
- 15
The braised fish head, complete in colour, aroma and flavour, comes out of the kitchen!
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.