富贵丁香鱼 Straw Mushrooms and a Dash of Dried Fish

Pinyin: Fù Guì Dīng Xiāng Yú

A fine appetizer this dish douth make. Simplicity is the key to so many Chinese dishes. Primarily composed of straw mushrooms that have been cooked/marinated in soy sauce, the soy sauce isn't overwhelming but just adds a nice mild flavor that complements the mushrooms.

This dish can't be called vegetarian, because just a bit of fish has been added primarily to enhance the taste. In fact as I devoured more than my fair share of this plate of goodness I never once spotted even a bit of fish.

剁椒鱼头 Mashed Pepper Fish Head

Pinyin: Duò Jiāo Yú Tóu


The first time you see a dish like this it might be a little startling, it was for me, and then the next thing that races through your mind is "What in the hell we're gonna eat fish head, there isn't anything on a fish head worth eating".

But in actuality this dish is pretty damn good, and there's a surprising bit of meat on this particular fish head.

I don't know what kind of fish this is, something big obviously. The head has been slit down the middle starting at the top of the head going down to just the lower jaw and then spliced open and laid out. The peppers aren't spicy at all, they just add flavor and it's not the awful flavor from bell peppers either.

肥肠鱼 Spicy Fish and Intestines

Pinyin: Féi Cháng Yú

There's nothing better than intestines in the morning! Except of course intestines at night, oh my god, wait, wait, I've been in China too long cause that just can't be right.

So what do you get when you have pieces of bony fish, pig intestines, lots of hot peppers, and far too much oil. No it's not deep fried anything, instead it's spicy fish and intestines more or less boiled together with a nice thick layer of chili's and oil.

Ya so I'm harping on this pretty hard, but it's really out of love. I do like this dish, granted I sift through the intestines and just go for the fish, but really it is a damn good dish that certainly deserves a try or two or three. But do remember there are bones in that there fish so chew wisely, of course, you could always go for the boneless, skinless intestines.