Milkfish Congee 虱目鱼粥

Where it comes from

The writer Tsao Ming-tsung (曹铭宗) traces Tainan salty congee to the 'half congee' (半粥) of Quanzhou (泉州), in which the rice grains stay separate rather than breaking down as in Cantonese congee. He says the style arrived around the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign (雍正) of the Qing dynasty, and that Zheng Ji (郑极), known as A-Han (阿憨), made it a Tainan speciality by adding milkfish to it in front of the Grand Temple at Shijingjiu (石精臼).

The organiser of a 2024 petition to make milkfish Tainan's city fish, run through the Tainan city government's Tainan 400 civic programme, says milkfish has been here since it was introduced in the Dutch period and lists milkfish congee among the city's childhood home dishes. She names A-Xing Salty Congee (阿星咸粥) among the milkfish eateries with a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

How it is made

Careful shops boil milkfish bones for stock, season it with salt, then cook the fish belly and white rice in part of that stock. Some shops use milkfish bones alone; A-Tang (阿堂咸粥) combines milkfish, Spanish mackerel, pork bones and chicken bones. Milkfish belly holds many fine bones, so southern Taiwan fish farmers usually send it to processing plants to have them removed, which is why the dish is also sold as 'boneless' milkfish belly congee.

How it is eaten

The bowl is finished with pepper and chopped spring onion, and every spoonful is expected to hold fish. Tainan diners usually add youtiao (油条, fried dough sticks), which turn soft as they soak up the broth. When Chuanjia Salty Congee (传家咸粥) in Anping (安平) was newly selected by the Michelin Guide in 2025, Tainan's tourism bureau named its signature milkfish congee and braised fish belly, both made with selected fresh fish, and its house-made minced-pork rice.