Duo Jiao Yu Tou

Method

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1. Rub the fish head inside and out with the wine and salt and leave 10 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

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2. Lay the whole spring onions and ginger slices on a heatproof plate and set the fish head on top, cut side up and opened flat.

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3. Mix the chopped chillies, black beans, garlic, chopped ginger, soy sauce, wine and sugar.

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4. Spread the mixture right across the fish head in an even layer.

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5. Steam over rapidly boiling water 12 minutes, until the flesh at the thickest part comes away from the bone easily.

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6. Pour off any watery liquid that has collected on the plate.

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7. Scatter the sliced spring onions and coriander over.

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8. Heat the oil until it just smokes and pour it over the top in one go — it should hiss loudly. Serve immediately.

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Chef’s Tips

• Twelve minutes. Fish head dries out with no warning.
• Salted chopped chillies, not fresh. Bright and sour is the point.
• Pour off the watery liquid before the hot oil goes on.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed rice
• Plain noodles in the sauce afterwards
• A cold beer

Storage & Reheating

Best immediately. Refrigerated 1 day at most.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.