Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili (Duo Jiao Yu Tou)
剁椒鱼头
Hunan's signature dish — a massive fish head smothered in bright red chopped chilies, steamed until silky. Spectacular to serve.
📋 Ingredients
What Is Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili (Duo Jiao Yu Tou)?
💡 Ingredient Notes: Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili (剁椒鱼头, duò jiāo yú tóu) is the most famous Hunan dish — a whole fish head smothered in bright red fermented chopped chilies and steamed until the flesh is silky and tender. The visual is stunning: a huge fish head covered in a blanket of red chilies, served in a massive dish at the center of the table. The fish flesh absorbs the chilies' tangy heat, creating a dish that's spicy, sour, savory, and deeply satisfying. Originally from a small restaurant in Changsha, it's now served across China and is the dish Hunan cuisine is most proud of.
Ingredients You'll Need
The Fish
- 1 large fish head (grass carp or bighead carp), split in half
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger juice
The Chili Topping
- 150g pickled chopped chili (剁椒)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Garnish
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Cilantro
- 2 tbsp smoking hot oil
📝 Instructions
Prep the fish head
Clean the fish head thoroughly. Split it in half down the middle but keep it connected at the jaw. Rub with cooking wine, salt, and ginger juice. Let marinate 15 minutes.
Prepare the chili topping
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped chili, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add sugar and soy sauce. The kitchen should smell intensely spicy.
Steam
Place the fish head skin-side down on a heatproof plate. Spread the chili mixture evenly over the fish flesh. Steam over vigorously boiling water for 12-15 minutes until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily.
Garnish and sizzle
Remove from steamer. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Heat 2 tablespoons oil until smoking hot, then pour over the scallions — they'll sizzle dramatically. Serve immediately.
💡 Pro Tips
- 💡Ask your fishmonger to split the head — it's hard to do at home without a cleaver.
- 💡Use pickled chopped chili (剁椒) — it's fermented, tangy, and bright red. Find it at Asian markets.
- 💡The cheek meat is the best part — fight for it.
- 💡Serve with noodles — after eating the fish, toss fresh noodles in the leftover chili sauce.
📊 Nutrition Facts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of fish head? Bighead carp (花鲢) or grass carp. The head is large and meaty. Any large freshwater fish head works.
How spicy is this? Very — Hunan food is hotter than Sichuan. Reduce the chili amount if you're sensitive to heat.
