Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilli

Steamed fish head with chopped chilli is a flagship Hunan dish, taking a fat bighead-carp head, covering it with red salted chilli and steaming it so the flesh stays tender and the chilli bright and pungent, red and white against each other and richly aromatic.

The dish grows from Hunan cooking, using the fermented chopped chilli kept in every Hunan home and steaming to preserve the fish's tenderness, embodying the Xiang love of heat balanced with respect for natural flavour, and is now a signature of the province.

Brought out whole, diners first lift the fish with its chilli juices, then mix the remaining sauce into noodles or rice, making it the centrepiece of Hunan banquets and family gatherings.

The vivid red chilli blanket, the tenderness of the fish and the rich aroma of fermented chilli are what define this dish.