---
title: "Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce (红烧鱼头)"
description: "Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce is a classic home-style braised dish. The fish head is rich in collagen, with silky, tender meat and a savory, slightly spicy broth that goes wonderfully with rice. Fish head is packed with high-quality protein, lecithin, and unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for nourishing the skin and brain."
image: "https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/ai-generated/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou.jpg"
url: "https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/"
---

# Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce

**红烧鱼头 · hóng shāo yú tóu**

> Time: 2 h 30 min · Difficulty: Hard · Calories: 333 kcal · Serves: 2 servings · Category: [Seafood](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/c/aquatic/) (水产)

Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce is a classic home-style braised dish. The fish head is rich in collagen, with silky, tender meat and a savory, slightly spicy broth that goes wonderfully with rice. Fish head is packed with high-quality protein, lecithin, and unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for nourishing the skin and brain.

![](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/ai-generated/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou.jpg)

## Ingredients

- 1 piece Fish head (鱼头) — per serving
  - Tip: Silver carp (huā lián) is recommended for a better texture than white carp.
- 200 g Scallion (white part) (大葱) — per serving
  - Tip: Choose fresh scallions; use the white part and greens separately.
- 80 g Ginger (姜) — per serving
  - Tip: Old ginger is preferred for better deodorizing.
- 3-4 pieces Garlic cloves (蒜瓣) — per serving
  - Tip: Regular garlic cloves are fine.
- 1/4 pieces Beauty pepper (mild chili) (美人椒) — per serving
  - Tip: Used for the final garnish and flavor.
- 4 heads Cilantro (香菜) — per serving
  - Tip: Fresh cilantro with roots.
- 2 pieces Star anise (八角) — per serving
  - Tip: Whole star anise without broken pieces.
- 5 pieces Dried red chili (干辣椒) — per serving
  - Tip: Adjust according to your spice preference.
- 7 g Salt (盐) — per serving
  - Tip: 5g for marinating, 2g for seasoning.
- 15 g Light soy sauce (生抽) — per serving
  - Tip: 10g for marinating, 5g for seasoning.
- 15 g Cooking wine (Shaoxing) (料酒) — per serving
  - Tip: 10g for marinating, 5g for seasoning.
- 3 g Dark soy sauce (老抽) — per serving
  - Tip: Used for color.
- 3 g Chicken bouillon powder (鸡精) — per serving
  - Tip: Regular chicken bouillon powder.
- 3 g Aged vinegar (陈醋) — per serving
  - Tip: Removes fishiness and adds aroma.
- 2 g Black pepper (ground) (黑胡椒粉) — per serving
  - Tip: Adds layers of flavor.
- 30 ml Cooking oil (食用油) — per serving
  - Tip: Regular cooking oil.

## Tools

Cleaver (5-7 mm blade recommended), Wok, Basin, Cutting board

## Method (7 steps)

1. **Prep the Ingredients** — Wash all the vegetables; rinse the dried red chilies and star anise. Cut the scallion (white part) into 4 cm pieces, cut the scallion greens into pieces and split each into quarters. Slice the ginger into 3 mm thick slices. Crush the garlic cloves. Finely chop 2 cilantro stems and keep 2 whole. Slice the beauty pepper (mild chili) into rings. Cut the dried red chilies into segments.
   - Duration: 10 min
   - Tip: Use different cuts for the scallion white part and the scallion greens.
   - Tip: Keep the ginger slices an even thickness.
   ![Step 1: Prep the Ingredients](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_1.jpg)
2. **Prep and Clean the Fish Head** — Scale the fish head, remove the gills, clean out the innards, and chop off the fins. Cut the jaw away from the body, cut the body into chunks, and chop the head into four to six pieces. Finally, rinse thoroughly to remove all blood.
   - Duration: 15 min
   - Tip: Be careful when chopping through bone.
   - Tip: Rinse away all blood to reduce the fishy smell.
   ![Step 2: Prep and Clean the Fish Head](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_2.jpg)
3. **Marinate the Fish Head** — Place the fish pieces in a basin. Add 5g salt, 10g light soy sauce, 10g cooking wine (Shaoxing), the chopped scallion greens, and 1/3 of the ginger slices. Toss to combine and let sit.
   - Duration: 90 min
   - Tip: Marinate for 1–2 hours to ensure the flavors soak in.
   ![Step 3: Marinate the Fish Head](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_3.jpg)
4. **Sauté the Aromatics** — Heat 30ml cooking oil in the wok, then reduce to low heat. Sauté the ginger slices until golden, then add the scallion pieces and sauté until slightly translucent. Finally, add the crushed garlic, star anise, and dried red chilies and stir-fry for 5 seconds.
   - Duration: 3 min
   - Tip: Stir-fry over low heat to prevent the aromatics from burning.
   ![Step 4: Sauté the Aromatics](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_4.jpg)
5. **Stir-Fry the Fish Head and Add Seasonings** — Add the marinated fish head and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add 500ml water along with the remaining salt, chicken bouillon powder, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine (Shaoxing), black pepper, and aged vinegar. Add the 2 whole cilantro stems.
   - Duration: 4 min
   - Tip: Stir-fry the fish head evenly.
   - Tip: Adding the aged vinegar at this stage helps remove the fishy smell.
   ![Step 5: Stir-Fry the Fish Head and Add Seasonings](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_5.jpg)
6. **Simmer and Reduce the Sauce** — Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the broth is reduced by half. Uncover and reduce over high heat until about 1/3 of the broth remains, then turn off the heat.
   - Duration: 20 min
   - Tip: Don't open the lid too often while simmering.
   - Tip: Watch closely while reducing to prevent sticking.
   ![Step 6: Simmer and Reduce the Sauce](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_6.jpg)
7. **Plate and Garnish** — Line the bottom of a basin with the cilantro from the pot, place the fish head on top, and drizzle with the broth. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and beauty pepper (mild chili) rings.
   - Duration: 2 min
   - Tip: Drizzling the broth evenly makes the dish look more appetizing.
   ![Step 7: Plate and Garnish](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou/step_7.jpg)

## Tips

- Because handling raw fish and chopping through bone can be difficult, it's not recommended for complete beginners to do this alone.
- It's recommended to have a separate cleaver (5-7 mm blade recommended) for working with fish bones.
- If you're unsure about the details of preparing the fish, search for related videos to learn.
- Lining the plate with the cooked cilantro adds flavor and visual appeal.

## Overview image

![Braised Fish Head in Soy Sauce — ingredients and steps overview](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/overview/aquatic_hong-shao-yu-tou_overview.jpg)

## Source

Recipe text from [HowToCook](https://github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook), structured by [Vibe Cook](https://github.com/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend). Public domain (Unlicense).

Original: https://github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook/blob/master/dishes/aquatic/红烧鱼头.md

## Related recipes

- [Braised Carp in Soy Sauce](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/aquatic_hong-shao-li-yu/)
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---

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