Hunan · main
Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chillies
剁椒鱼头 · Duòjiāo Yútóu
Fish head buried under a bright red chopped-chilli paste, steamed. The most iconic Hunan dish.
Steamed fish head with chopped chillies is the canonical Hunan dish. A whole fish head (typically silver carp, big-head carp or grass carp) is split, smothered with a paste of chopped fresh and pickled red chillies, then steamed for 10–15 minutes. The fish absorbs the chilli aroma; the meat-rich head pieces (cheeks, lips, eyes) are eaten with the noodles or rice underneath. Serves 4–6.
Where to try
Hunan restaurants; Changsha houses, particularly along Pozi Street.
Dietary notes
Fish. Substantial chilli.
Cities to try Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chillies
Other central dishes
- Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork毛氏红烧肉
Hunan-style slow-braised pork belly in soy, Shaoxing wine and chilli — the dish Mao Zedong reportedly ate weekly in Zhongnanhai.
- Doupi (Wuhan Tofu Skin)豆皮
Wuhan breakfast: layered pan-fried tofu skin and rice cake with mushroom, ham and bamboo shoots inside.
- Fish Head with Chopped Chilli剁椒鱼头
A whole silver carp head blanketed with fermented chopped red chilli and steamed until the flesh is silky and fiery.
- Hunan Chilli Fried Pork小炒肉
Thin-sliced pork belly wok-fried with fresh long green chillies and fermented black beans — Hunan's most-ordered everyday dish.