Stinky mandarin fish

Stinky mandarin fish
臭鳜鱼

If you are a great fan of Chinese cuisine, you will have heard that it has eight major categories. Hui cuisine, one of the outstanding variants best known for its mellow tastes and original flavors, includes something of a “rebel” dish that is distinctive for its odor – stinky mandarin fish. It is not only the pinnacle of Chinese stinky fish dishes, but also adds some elegance to the stinky dish family.

The story of stinky mandarin fish is one of random chance. Around 200 years ago, Yangtze River fishmongers sold mandarin fish to Huizhou (an old administrative area dating back to the 7th century which lies within today's Anhui province). During the long transportation, the fish was stored in wooden buckets with salt to stop it going bad. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived in Huizhou, the fish had begun to give off an unpleasant odor. Not wanting to discard them, the fishmongers instead cleaned and cooked them – and the dish began its quest to beguile taste buds.

The pickling of the fish is pivotal to the whole cooking process. You should prepare a wooden bucket and spread some salt on the bottom. Cover the prepared fish with salt and put them into the bucket layer by layer, then press them down using a heavy load. Stir the fish up and down once a day. After several days you will smell the fermentation odor and you can take the fish out. Stewing or braising it with other ingredients, it’s time to appreciate the special sweetness and chewy flesh of this famed Hui-style dish.