PProvenance
Enter
P
Chinese · Anhui

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

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.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Total5–7 days (fermentation) plus 45 minutes (cooking)
Sourced2of 10 in BC
Cook
‹ Previous · Chou Doufu (臭豆腐) — Stinky Tofu: The Hunan Street Ferment|Next · Clay Pot Rice (煲仔饭 Bao Zai Fan) — The Crispy Bottom Technique ›
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the fermentation
1 (500–700 g)
mandarin fish (gui yu / Chinese perch)
whole, scaled and cleaned, gut left intact
Your own market
20 g
fine salt
approximately 3–5% of fish weight; rubbed over exterior and interior
Your own market
For the braise
3 tbsp
neutral oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
Pixian doubanjiang
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
fresh ginger
sliced
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
3
scallions
cut into sections
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
garlic cloves
lightly crushed
Your own market
60 ml
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
1 tsp
sugar
Your own market

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Scale and clean the mandarin fish, leaving the gut intact; the gut enzymes are essential to the fermentation. Rub salt at approximately 3–5% of the fish's weight evenly over the exterior and into the cavity. Place the fish in a ceramic container. Cover it — not airtight — and leave at room temperature, ideally 18–22 °C, for 5–7 days. The fish is ready when it emits a pronounced pungent, funky aroma and the flesh feels firm rather than mushy; the skin will appear slightly duller than it did when fresh.
2
Rinse the fermented fish briefly under cold water. Heat oil in a wok or wide pan over high heat. Fry the fish until lightly browned on both sides, then set it aside. The surface should show an even golden colour.
3
In the same oil, fry the ginger, scallion, and garlic until fragrant. Add the Pixian doubanjiang and stir-fry until the oil turns red and the paste smells toasty and deep.
From the canon — Spring onion is the most ubiquitous aromatic in Chinese cooking and its function is more complex than its common use as a garnish suggests. SCALLION (SPRING ONION) TECHNIQUE →
4
Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine, then return the fish to the pan. Add enough water to come partway up the sides of the fish. Braise over medium heat for 15–20 minutes. The dish is finished when the braising liquor has reduced to a glossy, intensely savoury sauce and the flesh, tasted at its thickest point, is deeply flavoured throughout.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — A live mandarin fish (gui yu) sourced from a specialist freshwater fishmonger, fermented in an unglazed earthenware vessel at a stable 18–22 °C; Pixian doubanjiang aged at least three years.
02
Estate — A very fresh whole mandarin fish, chilled not frozen, gut intact; a good-quality Pixian doubanjiang and aged Shaoxing wine.
03
Market — Fresh whole mandarin fish from a reliable fishmonger; standard Pixian doubanjiang and Shaoxing cooking wine.
04
House — Any fresh whole firm-fleshed freshwater fish of similar size; ordinary doubanjiang in place of Pixian; dry sherry in place of Shaoxing wine.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Smell. After 5–7 days the fish emits a pronounced, distinctly pungent and funky aroma — this signals that fermentation is complete and the enzymatic transformation has occurred.
◇Touch. The fermented flesh is firm, not soft or yielding; any mushiness indicates the fermentation has gone too far or the temperature was too high.
◇Sight. After frying, the exterior shows an even light-golden colour on both sides before the braise begins.
◇Sight. At the end of braising, the sauce is glossy and reduced, coating the fish rather than pooling loosely in the pan.
◇Where it lives or dies. The fermentation is where this dish lives or dies: without the full 5–7 days at the correct temperature, with the gut intact and the salt correctly proportioned, the transformation of aroma and texture on which the entire preparation depends cannot occur.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Caol Ila 12 Year Old Single Malt
Caol Ila Distillery · Islay
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · fresh ginger, light soy sauce
→
← PreviousChou Doufu (臭豆腐) — Stinky Tofu: The Hunan Street FermentOne standard · no exceptions