Fish Head Hot Pot

Step 1

Prep Work: Scale the silver carp head, remove the gills and innards, wash it clean, and halve it down the middle (a fish head with no meat at all is a clean fish head; with one finger-width of meat is a full fish head; with two finger-widths of meat is a half fish head). Add a pinch of fine salt, mix well, and season for 2 minutes.

Step 2

Fish Head Stir-Frying: Place the wok over medium heat, add 500 g of hot pot oil, and heat to 30% oil temperature. Add the scallion segments, ginger slices, onion chunks, and garlic cloves and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chili powder and stir briefly, then add the fish head, pour in the cooking wine, toss evenly, transfer to a plate, and sprinkle with cilantro. This is the red-flavor fish head. (The white-flavor fish head is made by adding an appropriate amount of fine salt, cooking wine, white pepper powder, scallion knots, and ginger slices, mixing well, seasoning briefly, plating, and sprinkling with cilantro.)

Step 3

Hot Pot Base Preparation: Take a hot pot basin and add the hot pot base, rock sugar, white pepper powder, rice wine juice, chicken bouillon powder, and MSG. Pour in the hot pot oil and pork bone broth.

Serving Method: Place the hot pot on the stove and light the fire. Bring the fish head to the table, place an appropriate amount of fish head into the pot, set the dipping dishes on the table, and arrange the ingredients to be blanched around the pot. Once the broth comes to a boil, scoop an appropriate amount of broth into each dipping dish and stir. When the fish head is cooked, eat the fish head first, then blanch and eat the other dishes, dipping them into the sauce when done.