P
Chinese · Hangzhou
West Lake Vinegar Fish (西湖醋鱼 Xi Hu Cu Yu) — Hangzhou's Signature
Xi hu cu yu (西湖醋鱼, West Lake vinegar fish) is the signature dish of Hangzhou and one of the most famous preparations in Zhejiang cuisine — a fresh grass carp (cao yu, 草鱼) poached in a light broth or water, then topped with a sweet-sour Chinkiang vinegar sauce. The legend behind the dish involves a widow and her fisherman brother-in-law who fell on hard times — the woman seasoned the fish with vinegar and sugar to cover the slightly musty taste of river fish. The dish is deliberately simple: the fish must be of impeccable freshness, and the sauce must balance the sweetness and sourness precisely.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
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 (approx. 1–1.2 kg)
Grass carp (cao yu)
starved in clean water 1–2 days before cooking to purge muddy flavour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the poaching
1 tsp
Salt
Your own market
For the sauce
2 tbsp
Neutral oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
20 g
2 tbsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 ml
Chicken stock
Your own market
3 tbsp
Chinkiang (black rice) vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
Sugar
Your own market
1 tbsp
Light soy sauce
1 pinch
Salt
Your own market
1 tbsp
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
One to two days before cooking, hold the live or very fresh grass carp in a tank or vessel of clean, changed water. This purging step removes the muddy, intestinal flavour that river fish carry. The fish is ready when it smells cleanly of fresh water and nothing more.
2
Cut the carp into sections, or leave whole for presentation. Bring a wide pan of lightly salted water to just below a boil — surface shivering, no rolling bubbles. Lower the fish in carefully. Poach for 8–12 minutes. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest point turns completely opaque and just yields to the touch of a finger without flaking apart. Lift out with care to keep the sections intact.
3
While the fish poaches, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger shreds and fry until fragrant. Add the Shaoxing wine and let it hiss and reduce briefly. Add the chicken stock, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, and the pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Pour in the cornstarch slurry in a thin stream, stirring constantly. This is where the dish lives or dies: the finished sauce must be a medium amber-red, flow like a slightly thick glaze, and taste simultaneously sweet, sour, and subtly savoury — with none of the three flavours overpowering any other. Adjust with a few drops more vinegar or a pinch more sugar before it leaves the pan.
From the canon — Chinkiang vinegar (镇江醋, Zhenjiang hei cu, Zhenjiang black vinegar) is China's most celebrated vinegar — a dark, complex, aged rice vinegar produced in Zhenji… Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江醋 Zhenjiang Hei Cu) — The Black Vinegar of Jiangsu →
4
Transfer the poached fish to a serving plate. Pour the hot sauce directly over the fish at the table. The sauce should coat the surface in a glossy, even sheet — not pool thinly nor sit in stiff clots.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — A live grass carp purged for the full two days in cold, repeatedly changed water, combined with aged Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋) of at least three years, and a rich homemade chicken stock reduced to a light jelly.
02
Estate — A very fresh, whole grass carp from a reliable fishmonger, purged overnight; a labelled Chinkiang vinegar from Jiangsu; and a clean unsalted chicken stock.
03
Market — Fresh grass carp fillets or sections purchased the morning of cooking; a standard commercially bottled Chinkiang vinegar; and a low-sodium chicken stock from a carton.
04
House — Any firm, fresh freshwater fish of mild flavour; a generic dark rice vinegar in place of Chinkiang; and water in place of stock, accepting a flatter sauce.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. After purging, the fish smells cleanly of fresh water with no trace of mud or intestinal odour.
◇Sight. The poaching water holds a steady shiver just below a boil — no rolling bubbles that would break the flesh.
◇Touch. At 8–12 minutes, the flesh at the thickest point yields gently under a fingertip and is completely opaque throughout.
◇Sight. The finished sauce is a medium amber-red and flows like a slightly thick glaze when the pan is tilted.
◇Where it lives or dies. The sauce must arrive at the table as a medium amber-red glaze that is simultaneously sweet, sour, and subtly savoury, with none of the three flavours overpowering the others — this balance cannot be corrected once the sauce is poured.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Riesling
Ancient Lakes Vineyard — Cave B · Ancient Lakes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance