Qijiang Beidu Hot-Oil Fish 綦江北渡鱼
Qijiang Beidu Hot-Oil Fish is featured among the local specialties of Chongqing.
Qijiang Beidu Hot-Oil Fish (綦江北渡鱼) is a river-fish dish from Qijiang (綦江), Chongqing, cooked in the jianghu (江湖菜) style and finished by pouring boiling oil over the fish, which comes to the table under red oil, chilli, Sichuan pepper and garlic.
Flavour and texture
A local essay published by the Qijiang district news site describes the finished dish as brightly coloured and numbing, hot, fresh and fragrant. At the shop the writer's friend treats as the original, the boiling oil is poured to a house recipe, and the heat and spice are pitched so that they do not overwhelm the natural taste of the fish. The flesh is described as tender and fine as silk, melting in the mouth.
Where it comes from
The fish in the name comes from the Qijiang River (綦江河), which is 30 to 60 metres wide, rises in the Dalou Mountains (大娄山) north of Tongzi County (桐梓县), flows through Qijiang and joins the Yangtze at Shunjiang village (顺江村) in Rentuo town (仁沱镇), Jiangjin District (江津区).
According to the same essay, people who have traced the dish place its origin in Pengqiao village (彭桥村), Guangxing town (广兴镇), in Jiangjin. The fish was said to come mainly from the Beidu (北渡) reach of the river, and the first restaurant stood at Beidu Dianzi (北渡店子) in Pengqiao, so diners took to saying they were going "to Beidu to eat fish". Word of mouth spread the name, and shops calling themselves the authentic or original Beidu fish have multiplied.
How it is eaten
Qijiang Beidu Hot-Oil Fish spread widely through the city of Qijiang. Shops without a Beidu fish sign make the same dish too: in an ordinary tofu-pudding restaurant, the essay says, the woman ladling out tofu can turn to the kitchen and bring out the fish in one or two flavours to the customer's request.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil 水煮鱼 →
Both are Chongqing fish dishes in chilli oil; Qijiang Beidu Hot-Oil Fish is defined by the boiling oil poured over river fish covered in chilli, Sichuan pepper and garlic.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-23. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.