Chou Gui Yu (臭鳜鱼) — Fermented Mandarin Fish: Anhui's Most Daring Dish

Anhui

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Description

Chou gui yu (臭鳜鱼, stinky mandarin fish) is the most discussed and controversial preparation of Anhui cuisine — a fresh mandarin fish (gui yu, also called Chinese perch) that is dry-salted and allowed to ferment at room temperature for 5-7 days before cooking, developing a characteristic strong aroma (described variously as pungent, funky, ammoniac, or deeply savoury) and a transformation in texture and flavour that is impossible to achieve by any other means. The fermented fish is then braised with Pixian doubanjiang, aromatics, and Shaoxing wine, producing a preparation where the fierce exterior aroma belies the complex, deep, almost luxurious interior flavour of the braised fish.

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The Thread

—Swedish surstromming — fermented Baltic herring — is the most extreme expression of the same principle of controlled fish fermentation producing a strong-smelling, complex-tasting product

—Norwegian rakfisk (fermented trout) is a milder cousin of the same Scandinavian fermented fish tradition

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