Chou Guiyu (Stinky Mandarin Fish)
Deliberately fermented fish, braised in soy
Think of it as: Like a soy-braised sea bass that aged a week in a pungent cheese cave
Smells rotten, tastes amazing. Unfair, really.
What does it taste like?
Sweet-savory soy with a pungent funk and concentrated umami.
SweetSpicySourSaltyFunkSmellTextureFirm and bouncy, flaking into chunks
What is it?
A specialty of southern Anhui: mandarin fish salted and left to ferment for about a week, then braised in soy. The smell is fierce, but the flesh turns firm and bouncy.
How locals eat it
Served whole at restaurants around Huangshan, eaten with rice.
Watch it
More videos on YouTubeWhere is it from?
🇨🇳China
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✈ Check cheap flights Best timeApril to May and September to October, when it's neither too hot nor too cold, are best. Also tryPeking duckMapo tofuXiaolongbao More from here🖤 Century egg🥚 Tongzi Dan (Virgin Boy Eggs)🍜 Luosifen🦐 Drunken Shrimp🐰 Ma La Tu Tou (Spicy Rabbit Head)
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MusicPeking opera Traditional theater of song, dialogue and acrobatic fighting
Listen on YouTube SportTable tennis (basketball is hugely popular too)
Ma Long (table tennis; six Olympic gold medals) World HeritageThe Great Wall and more National animalGiant panda (unofficial) FestivalSpring Festival (January-February, Lunar New Year)
Ingredients
- 1 mandarin fish
- Salt
- 50 g pork belly
- 50 g bamboo shoots
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- Ginger and scallions
Can't find it? Sea bass can stand in for mandarin fish.
How to make it (one way)
- Rub the fish with salt.
- Weigh it down and leave it to ferment for about a week.
- Sear it in oil.
- Braise with pork, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, sugar and ginger.
- Reduce the sauce and spoon it over the fish.
⚠️ Fermenting fish safely needs careful temperature control. Don't try it at home.