Claypot Fish Head with Tofu

Name: Claypot Fish Head with Tofu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 600 g Bighead carp fish head, half (remove the teeth, make 2 deep cuts on the back meat, 1 cut on the gill cover); 700 g Soft tofu (cut into 4 cm long, 1 cm thick slices, briefly blanched in boiling water); 75 g Cooked bamboo shoot slices; 25 g Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms; 0.5 g Minced ginger; 25 g Garlic sprouts; 25 g Bean chili paste, crushed; 75 g Soy sauce (15 g used to coat the front of the fish head); 25 g Shaoxing wine; 10 g Sugar; 3.5 g Monosodium glutamate (MSG); 250 g Rendered pork lard (about 125 g actually used)

With bighead carp head and tofu as the main ingredients, this dish is slow-cooked in a clay pot to yield a rich, mellow soup, silky fish brain, and delicate, tender tofu.

40 min

Easy

0 favorites

Ingredients

Bighead carp fish head, half (remove the teeth, make 2 deep cuts on the back meat, 1 cut on the gill cover) 600 g

Soft tofu (cut into 4 cm long, 1 cm thick slices, briefly blanched in boiling water) 700 g

Cooked bamboo shoot slices 75 g

Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms 25 g

Minced ginger 0.5 g

Garlic sprouts 25 g

Bean chili paste, crushed 25 g

Soy sauce (15 g used to coat the front of the fish head) 75 g

Shaoxing wine 25 g

Sugar 10 g

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) 3.5 g

Rendered pork lard (about 125 g actually used) 250 g

Instructions

Prepare the fish head and tofu

Wash the fish head and remove the teeth. Make 2 deep cuts on the meat near the back of the head, 1 cut on the gill cover, and 1 cut on the brain (walnut) meat. Coat the cut side with the crushed bean chili paste, and rub 15 g of soy sauce over the front (skin) side. Cut the tofu into 4 cm long, 1 cm thick slices, and briefly blanch them in boiling water to remove the raw bean flavor.

Pan-fry the fish head

Place a wok over high heat, add the rendered pork lard, and heat until about 80% hot. Place the front (skin) side of the fish head down in the wok and pan-fry until golden. Pour off the excess oil, pour in the Shaoxing wine, add 60 g of soy sauce and the sugar, and braise briefly.

Braise in the claypot

Flip the fish head over, pour in 750 g of stock or water, and add the tofu slices, bamboo shoot slices, shiitake mushrooms, and minced ginger. Once boiling, transfer everything to a medium claypot. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, then switch to medium heat for 2 minutes, skim off the foam, add the garlic sprouts and MSG, drizzle with 50 g of rendered pork lard, and bring the claypot directly to the table to serve.