P
Chinese · Chongqing
Chongqing Grilled Fish (Kao Yu) — Table Brazier Style
Chongqing kao yu (重庆烤鱼) — grilled fish — is a Chongqing specialty where whole fish (typically grass carp or bream) is first charcoal-grilled over open flame until lightly charred, then placed on a bed of vegetables in a cast iron tray over a table brazier. A fiery sauce of Sichuan doubanjiang, dried chili, cumin, and fermented black beans is poured over the still-sizzling fish, and the whole arrangement continues cooking at the table.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1 (about 1.2 kg)
Grass carp or bream, whole
cleaned, scaled, deeply scored to the bone on both sides
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the vegetables
200 g
Bean sprouts
or substitute sliced potato or lotus root
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sauce
3 tbsp
Doubanjiang (Sichuan fermented broad-bean paste)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tsp
Cumin
ground
Your own market
2 tbsp
Dried chilli
whole or roughly chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
Fermented black beans (douchi)
rinsed and lightly crushed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
Chilli oil or neutral oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Score the fish deeply on both sides, cutting through to the bone at intervals of about 2 cm. This is not decorative — it allows the sauce to penetrate the flesh. The fish is ready when the scores open cleanly without the flesh tearing.
2
Lay the fish over a hot charcoal grill, skin side down first. Grill for 8–10 minutes without moving it. The skin should blister and lightly char before the fish is flipped once to finish the flesh side. Do not turn again. The charcoal flavour built in this step is essential to the technique; a fish that has not been pre-charred on open flame is a different dish entirely — this is where the dish lives or dies.
3
While the fish grills, arrange the bean sprouts (or sliced potato or lotus root) in an even layer across the base of a cast iron tray. The vegetables act as the platform for the fish and will absorb chilli oil and fish drippings throughout service.
4
Prepare the sauce by combining the doubanjiang, dried chilli, fermented black beans, cumin, and oil. The finished sauce must be thick and coating — not brothy. If it does not cling to a spoon, reduce it briefly. A watery sauce will not adhere to the fish.
From the canon — Doubanjiang — the 'soul of Sichuan cuisine' — is a fermented paste of broad beans (fava beans) and chillies that is to Sichuan cooking what soy sauce is to J… Doubanjiang (Sichuan Fermented Bean Paste — Aged vs Fresh) →
5
Transfer the charred fish directly from the grill onto the bed of vegetables in the cast iron tray. Place the tray immediately over the table brazier. Pour the sauce over the fish at once — it should sizzle on contact and the aromatics of doubanjiang and cumin should bloom visibly in the steam. The sound of the sauce hitting the hot tray confirms the brazier is at working temperature.
6
Allow the fish to continue cooking over the table brazier for 15 minutes. Do not turn it; the fish will break if disturbed. The fish is done when the sauce has reduced further into the flesh through the score cuts and the vegetables beneath are fully saturated with chilli oil and drippings. Taste the vegetables — they carry the final measure of the dish's seasoning.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Live grass carp, butchered to order; single-origin Pixian doubanjiang aged three years or more; whole cumin seed, toasted and ground at the moment of cooking; charcoal from hardwood lychee or longan.
02
Estate — Fresh whole grass carp or bream from a reputable fishmonger; good-quality aged Pixian doubanjiang; freshly ground cumin; good-grade hardwood charcoal.
03
Market — Fresh bream or similar white-fleshed whole fish; reliable supermarket doubanjiang; pre-ground cumin; standard charcoal.
04
House — Any available whole white-fleshed fish; standard chilli bean paste; pre-ground cumin and dried chilli flakes; a domestic grill brought to its highest heat before the fish is introduced.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Score cuts on the grilled fish open cleanly and the skin shows visible blistering and light char before the fish is flipped.
◇Sound. Sauce poured over the fish on the table brazier sizzles immediately on contact, confirming the tray is at the correct working temperature.
◇Smell. Cumin and doubanjiang bloom in the steam rising from the tray — the aromatics are sharp and distinct rather than flat.
◇Touch. The sauce coats a spoon thickly before it is poured; if it runs freely, it must be reduced further.
◇Where it lives or dies. The charcoal pre-charring of the fish cannot be skipped or substituted — without the open-flame char, the dish lacks the smokiness that defines Chongqing kao yu.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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