A humble Chinese Fish Soup that will nourish the body down through to your soul! This silky smooth soup is beautifully fragrant and can be made with ANY fish you love!
The Ultimate Chinese Fish Soup Recipe
I never discriminate when it comes to soups. Vegetable, chicken, seafood, pork and beef soups…I adore them ALL. Soups are a love affair of mine and will make my knees instantly buckle in the presence of it.
In fact, no other soup I’ve had in the past has made me feel this nourished. After satisfying multiple cravings, I’ve narrowed its success down to a few (but crucial) things: our family’s Chinese Fish Soup is incredibly aromatic, gently simmered until a rich savouriness perfumes the broth. Not only that, but it’s filled with melt-in-your-mouth bites of the most tender fish.
It’s the one dish that’s bound to make everyone feel at home!
” alt=”Fish soup in a bowl with a spoon” width=”600″ height=”900″ data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” data-lazy-src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.wokandkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chinese-Fish-Soup-Close-Up-saved-for-web.png?fit=600%2C900&ssl=1″ data-lazy-srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.wokandkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chinese-Fish-Soup-Close-Up-saved-for-web.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/www.wokandkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chinese-Fish-Soup-Close-Up-saved-for-web.png?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w” data-pin-description=”Looking for a recipe to bring back the warmth and stir the soul? Try this Chinese Fish Soup! It’s got wonderful bold and homey flavours! #chinesefishsoup #chinesesoup #fishsoup #asianfood #chinesefood #fishhead #noodlesoup” data-pin-title=”Chinese Fish Soup (魚頭爐)” data-pin-url=”https://www.wokandkin.com/chinese-fish-soup/?tp_image_id=3363″ />
What makes this fish soup unique
Our secret ingredient that makes this soup absolutely wonderous is pickled mustard greens! You may remember its saltier cousin from my Steamed Pork Belly with Mustard Greens recipe, but the one we use for this soup is pickled, which gives it an amazing crunchy tanginess that gets infused in the broth.
But what differentiates this Chinese Fish Soup from all the other fish soups is that absolutely no part of the fish goes to waste. This is a Teo Chew style fish soup and is traditionally cooked using bass groper fish head. Yes, you heard correctly.
Now, if you’re anything like our family then you’d want more than just fish head bones. We usually buy extra fish to accommodate for that. And you can always substitute the fish for whichever you’d prefer!
What you’ll need to make Chinese Fish Soup
1 bass groper fish head (we ask the fish monger to clean and cut it up for us)
Prepare the fish by giving it a wash and using a knife to lightly scrape off any excess scales. If you ask your fish monger, they will happily do most of the scraping for you.
Cut the fish into chunks and lightly coat them in potato starch.
Fry the coated fish pieces in oil over a medium heat until they are golden.
Cut the taro into chunks or thick slices and fry in oil over a medium heat until golden.
Wash the pickled mustard greens then chop them into smaller pieces. If you’d prefer a crunch then keep the pieces larger.
Lightly oil a wok and pan fry the pickled mustard greens for 3 minutes then put it in a pot.
Heat up a pan with oil and add the ginger and spring onions until fragrant. Toss the fried fish in. This will reduce the fishy smell.
Pour the the fish, ginger, spring onions into the pot with the pickled mustard greens. Add water and season with salt, sugar and chicken powder.
Let the broth simmer for 30 minutes. You can add the taro and fried tofu in during this stage for a thicker broth as the taro melts into the soup or you can leave it until just before serving to add it in.
This also applies to the fish. The longer you cook it, the softer it will become. I recommend adding it in just before serving.
To enjoy this dish, have it as is or with rice noodles!
Make it a complete Chinese dinner spread
If you love Chinese food the way I do, make it a feast!
Four Cup Chicken (四杯雞)
Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce
Eggplant and Pork Mince Stir Fry
Chinese Fish Soup (魚頭爐)
Looking for a recipe to bring back the warmth and stir the soul? Try this Chinese Fish Soup! It’s got wonderful bold and homey flavours!
Recipe Details
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Jeannette
Ingredients
1 bass grouper fish head (we ask the fish monger to clean and cut it up for us)
Prepare the fish by giving it a wash and using a knife to lightly scrape off any excess scales. If you ask your fish monger, they will happily do most of the scraping for you.
Cut the fish into chunks and lightly coat them in potato starch.
Fry the coated fish pieces in oil over a medium heat until they are golden.
Cut the taro into chunks or thick slices and fry in oil over a medium heat until golden.
Wash the pickled mustard greens then chop them into smaller pieces. If you’d prefer a crunch then keep the pieces larger.
Lightly oil a wok and pan fry the pickled mustard greens for 3 minutes then put it in a pot.
Heat up a pan with oil and add the ginger and spring onions until fragrant. Toss the fried fish in.
Pour the the fish, ginger, spring onions into the pot with the pickled mustard greens. Add water and season with salt, sugar and chicken powder.
Let the broth simmer for 30 minutes. You can add the taro and fried tofu in during this stage for a thicker broth as the taro melts into the soup or you can leave it until just before serving to add it in.
To enjoy this dish, have it as is or with rice noodles!
