In Guangdong, there’s a well-known dish called “啫啫鱼头煲” (pronounced as “jue jue yu tou bao”), which is famous for the sizzling sound it makes, enough to make your mouth water. Named after the delightful sizzling noise, this dish is easy to make at home. No water is used throughout the process; instead, the fish head cooks in its own juices. The result is tender, succulent meat that, when brought to the table in a clay pot, releases an irresistible aroma that even the lid can’t contain!
The essence of the fish head hot pot lies in the sauce. For details on preparing the sauce, see below.
Ingredients:
- Fish head: 1.5
- Shallots: 50g
- Garlic: 50g
- Ginger slices: 30g
- Red chili: 0.5
- Cilantro, green onions: a small amount
Soulful Sauce for Fish Head Hot Pot:
- Salt (1g)
- Sugar (2g)
- Doubanjiang (10g), minced
- Peanut butter (8g)
- Seafood sauce (20g)
- Chu Hou paste (30g)
- Oyster sauce (10g)
- Cooking wine (10g)
- Pepper (1g)
- Dark soy sauce (1g)
- Sesame oil (2g)
- White pepper, to taste
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly
Instructions:
- Prepare the soulful sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients.
- Cut the fish head into vertical sections; make sure not to cut horizontally.
- Rinse the fish head under running water to remove any fishy odor, then pat it dry to remove excess moisture.
- Pour the sauce over the fish pieces and mix thoroughly with your hands.
- Add 3g of cornstarch and stir to lock in the flavor of the sauce.
- Finally, add a small amount of peanut oil and mix well.
- Preheat a clay pot over high heat until it starts to smoke slightly, then add peanut oil. Throughout the cooking process, use low heat.
- Stir-fry ginger, garlic, and shallots until fragrant.
- Reduce to low heat and lay the fish flat on the pot, ensuring the fish pieces do not overlap.
- Add 15g of cooking wine, cover, and steam for 3 minutes without opening the lid.
- When you see white smoke, indicating the loss of internal juice, you can add a small amount of cooking wine to force the steam back, either by pouring along the edge or directly into the pot. Cover and steam for an additional 1 minute.
- Pour cooking wine along the edge of the pot.
- Allow white wine to “seal in the juices.”
- Add green onions and red chili, then steam for another 1 minute.
- It’s ready to be served—absolutely delicious!
Note: The term “啫啫” in Chinese represents a sizzling sound or a delightful crunch. In this context, it refers to the appealing sizzling sound the fish head makes during cooking.
