Braised Fish Heads 鱼头
Braised Fish Heads is featured among the local specialties of Zhejiang.
Braised Fish Heads (鱼头) in Quzhou (衢州) are the fish member of the city's signature food set, the "three heads and one foot" (三头一掌): duck heads, rabbit heads and fish heads, plus duck feet. Many people think of Zhejiang food as light and delicate, but China News Service notes that Quzhou's love of chilli shows in this set.
Where it comes from
China News Service reports that more than 150 street-food stalls (大排档) in Quzhou's city area cook the "three heads and one foot", making the set close to the mainstay of late-night eating there. The Hangzhou paper Dushi Kuaibao (都市快报) calls the set the signature of the snacks of Longyou (龙游), a county of Quzhou.
Flavour and texture
Dushi Kuaibao compares the Longyou way with fish head to the chopped-chilli fish head of Hunan and Jiangxi: a thick layer of chilli is spread over the fish, and the paper notes that the fish keeps its fresh taste even when the heat is strong. In a 2025 piece the same paper describes the whole set as winning diners with lu (卤煮) braising in seasoned stock and a fresh, spicy flavour.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-25. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- A common version of Braised Fish Heads · 鱼头常见做法参考照片。Photo: Christopher · CC BY 2.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited.
