Ode to a fish head

Editor's note: Traditional and fusion cooking styles, regional and international ingredients and a new awareness of healthy eating are all factors contributing to an exciting time for Chinese cuisine. We explore the possibilities.

While some may say the Chinese will eat anything, I'd rather suggest we are totally honest in appreciating our food. We do not camouflage our ingredients.

Take fish, for instance. The best and freshest fish are almost always served whole on the Chinese table, bones and all. Only very large fish are cut up, mainly because they cannot fit on a plate.

Even so, nothing is wasted. While the meat is filleted and sliced for a variety of dishes, the bones are carefully saved and used for milky soups or stock. And the best part of any large fish is, of course, the head.

Wherever fish is eaten, you will inevitably find a few recipes using only the head.

The Chinese diner will expertly dismantle cartilage, skin and bones, extracting every last bit of meat. Meat nearest the bone is always sweeter. We all know that.

Large fish heads are full of tasty morsels that range from the gelatinous lips, mouth parts and jaws to the coveted cheeks. Contrary to belief, there is plenty of meat - among the deep grooves of the forehead, along the collar, and at the back where the head joins the backbone.

The juiciest parts are around the eyeballs, where tender muscles inside the sockets deliver a unique mix of textures, from chewy tendons and delicious fat to gelatinous skin.

Cheeks and eyes are always reserved for favored guests.

There is no hurrying the dish, which must be rapidly cooked, but slowly enjoyed. And there are many ways to appreciate this delicious delicacy.

In northern China, deep in winter, enormous carp are harvested from under the frozen lakes. Fish that are fully six kilograms or more are hauled up in nets that have very wide mesh, allowing smaller immature fish to escape.

Villagers cart the huge fish home and this becomes a feast cooked on the earthen stoves that also heat the room through flues. The fish heads are stewed with dajiang, the fermented soy bean paste that is often homemade.

Leeks, garlic, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and ginger all contribute to the strong flavors that the northeastern provinces are known for. Often, dough cakes made from corn flour are pasted by the side of the iron cauldron as the fish head cooks.

This is classic yingcai, the hard cuisine of the northeast that often combines very hearty ingredients in one pot.

There is also fish head hotpot, and depending on the region, the cut-up head may be cooked in a base broth that can be simply flavored with nothing more than scallions or ginger, or a hellishly spicy broth with a thick layer of red oil floating on top.

In the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, tamarind and fermented or pickled vegetables are used to flavor fish head. The tartness is a natural pairing for the heavy fish oils in the head. Pickled minced red chili, hand-cut and slowly fermented to take the edge off the heat, and the spicy hot bean paste so famous in the region, are used for an innocuously named shuizhuyu, or hot water fish.

Not all fish heads are cooked in a lot of water. The Cantonese master chefs prefer to steam their fish heads, concentrating the flavors and showcasing the natural harmony of textures.

Here, the fish head is split in half and placed on a plate ready for the steamer. It is then topped with a variety of sauces before going on the stove.

The most common is salty fermented black beans with plenty of minced garlic and chili, a combination that adds deep flavor while removing pungency.

A blanket of finely minced ginger may be all that's needed if the fish head, normally a grass carp, is very fresh.

The Chinese fondness for fish head has followed them wherever they chose to settle.

In my country, fish head is a coveted ingredient that often costs more than fish steaks. Singapore's iconic curry fish head is world famous, with its tart and spicy sauce, lots of eggplant, okra and tomatoes and a huge red snapper head.

It is also a marriage of cultures on a platter, something that can be seen throughout local cuisine. In this case, it is a fusion of Indian spices, Malay vegetables and a Chinese ingredient.

That's not all. We also love pieces of fish head deep-fried and then cooked in soup with plenty of tender tofu and Chinese greens. We eat thick fat rice vermicelli with this to soak up the sweet soup.

Honesty with food is important to the Chinese and it does away with the hypocrisy of dressing up food so that it doesn't look anything like the animal it comes from. If we are to be on top of the food chain, the least we can do is to look it in the eye, and thank it for its sacrifice.

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn

Recipe

Steamed fish head with ginger, garlic and chili:

I large grass carp head

100g ginger

100g red chili pepper

3-4 cloves garlic

Salt

Sesame oil

Vegetable oil

4 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Prepare the fish head by removing the gills and cleaning out any coagulated blood. This will reduce the fishiness. Split the head into two, rinse and let it drain. Place on a large plate suitable for steaming.

Prepare the sauce.

Peel and cube the ginger, then finely mince. Cut the red chili peppers and mince with the ginger.

Smash the garlic cloves and add to the chili-ginger mixture. Salt to taste. Carefully spread this over the fish head. Steam the fish head over rapidly boiling water for 20 minutes, or longer, depending on the size of your fish head.

This is one dish you cannot overcook, and it's very forgiving if you choose to steam it an extra five or 10 minutes.

Remove the fish head from the steamer. Heat up a tablespoon each of vegetable and sesame oil and sizzle it over the chili and ginger mixture. Scatter sesame seeds over and serve.

Fried fish head soup with vermicelli:

1 fish head, cut up

2-3 slices ginger

Corn starch

Salt

Chinese greens or caixin

Rice vermicelli

This is good with sea fish like snapper or bream. Get your fishmonger to cut up the fish head for you. I have even cooked this with large salmon heads.

Rinse and drain the fish, then coat each piece in corn starch.

Deep-fry the pieces until golden brown. The main thing is to seal the pieces to lock in the juices.

Heat up a pot of boiling water and drop the fish into it, with the ginger slices. Keep the water boiling so that the calcium and collagen break down and the soup turns milky. Add the vegetables. Salt to taste.

Scald the rice vermicelli and place in bowls. Pour the fish soup over, and top with pieces of fish head and green vegetables.

Garnish with more ginger, finely sliced and deep-fried.