剁椒鱼头剁椒魚頭
duò jiāo yú tóu doek3 ziu1 jyu4 tau4
A huge fish head buried under a blanket of fermented chopped chilies, steamed until the cheeks turn to custard. Hunan’s 鲜辣 — fresh, bright heat — in its most dramatic dish.
The story behind it
Where Sichuan numbs (麻辣), Hunan burns clean: 剁椒, salted fermented red chilies, are the province’s pantry soul. Legend ties the dish to the Qing scholar Huang Zongxian, fed a chili-steamed fish head in a village kitchen while fleeing trouble. Bighead carp from the lakes around Changsha give the gelatinous cheeks prized by connoisseurs; noodles are tossed through the chili broth at the end.
Ingredients
- 1 large bighead carp head (or use a whole sea bream), split open like a book
- 6 tbsp chopped salted chilies (剁椒)
- Ginger, garlic, spring onion
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine + 1 tsp sugar
- Hot oil to finish; cooked noodles to soak up the juices
Steps
- Rub the head with wine and salt; rest 10 minutes on ginger slices.
- Spread the chopped chilies, garlic and ginger thickly over the top.
- Steam over high heat 12–15 minutes until just set at the thickest part.
- Scatter spring onion, pour over smoking oil, and serve with noodles for the sauce.