Jingzhou Steamed Fish Cake 荆州鱼糕
Jingzhou Steamed Fish Cake is featured among the local specialties of Hubei.
Jingzhou Steamed Fish Cake (荆州鱼糕) turns grass carp into a white, tender cake enriched with lard and eggs. In Jingzhou (荆州), it often opens a banquet, earning the alternative name toucai (头菜), or first dish.
How it is made
A February 2023 recipe in China Medical News (中国医药报) starts with grass carp flesh cleared of bones, skin and dark meat. The fish is soaked, drained and minced, then mixed with lard, ginger, scallion whites, egg whites and starch. Stirring in one direction combines the paste; salt is added during mixing and water in small amounts to adjust its consistency.
The mixture is spread about three centimetres thick on a cloth-lined steamer, leaving space at the edges. After 20–30 minutes of steaming, beaten egg yolk is brushed over the surface for a further five minutes. The cake cools slightly before being cut into broad strips.
How it is eaten
The finished cake can be steamed again, boiled, fried or cooked in hotpot. Its name also sounds like yu gao (余高), suggesting abundance and advancement, which gives the banquet dish a celebratory meaning.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-27. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- A common version of Jingzhou Steamed Fish Cake · 荆州鱼糕常见做法参考照片。Photo: Popolon · CC BY-SA 3.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited.
