Braised Boned Bighead Carp Head 拆烩鲢鱼头
Braised Boned Bighead Carp Head is featured among the local specialties of Jiangsu.
Image notes
Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited.
Braised Boned Bighead Carp Head (拆烩鲢鱼头) is a dish of Huaiyang cooking (淮扬菜), the traditional cuisine of the Huai'an (淮安) and Yangzhou (扬州) area of Jiangsu. Its main ingredient is the head of a bighead carp (花鲢).
How it is made
The head goes through two named steps, boning and braising, and the dish's Chinese name spells them out. Chai (拆) means taking out the fish bones while keeping the head in its original shape; hui (烩) means cooking it in a rich stock.
Where it comes from
In Yangzhou the dish is on the Huaiyang menu of the Fuchun Teahouse (富春茶社), a restaurant founded in 1885 in Deshengqiao Lane (得胜桥巷) at the centre of the old city and also called the First House of Huaiyang (淮扬第一楼). It sits there beside crab-meat lion's head (蟹粉狮子头), braised shredded tofu (大煮干丝), crystal pork terrine (水晶肴肉) and stir-fried shelled shrimp (清炒虾仁).
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Clay Pot Fish Head 砂锅鱼头 →
Both are Jiangsu dishes built on a whole fish head; this Huaiyang version takes the bones out before the head is braised in stock.
Questions before you order
What do chai and hui mean in the name?
Chai is removing the bones while keeping the fish head's shape; hui is cooking it in a rich stock.