China's Most Inventive Fish Cuisine Province: How Much Fiery Delicacy Lies Within?

The saying goes, "May there be abundance year after year," and during festive occasions, fish always takes center stage on our dining tables. As an ingredient that has accompanied the Chinese people for thousands of years, fish is both ubiquitous and endlessly versatile. Fish lovers from all corners of the country have distinct memories of its taste: Cantonese gourmets who seek original flavors enjoy steamed or baked fish; Hubei locals, living in the "land of fish and rice," excel at braising fish in soy sauce; while some in Jiangsu and Zhejiang prefer sweet and sour flavors, others take savory umami to the extreme... Yet beyond these fish-loving provinces, there’s one place with the most inventive preparations—Hunan.

Among southern provinces, Hunan is arguably the most understated king of fish cuisine. You might have forgotten that "Chopped Chili Fish Head" gained nationwide popularity even before stir-fried Hunan dishes took off. Every spice-loving friend surely bought packs of Hunan’s spicy dried fish snacks during their school days. Those who’ve visited Hunan firsthand experience this even more vividly: Hunan restaurants serve an array of fish dishes you’ve never seen before—fiery and crispy fire-dried fish, aromatic wine-infused fermented fish, plump and tender fish-lip hotpot, cured fish, steamed fish with rice flour, spiced pressed fish... all bursting with fresh, spicy flavors.

Hunan people never waste the deliciousness of any fish.

If there were a competition in fish cuisine, Hunan would win with creativity. Unbound by common methods like braising, steaming, or boiling, they unleash their imagination to develop unique techniques—pickling, smoking, fire-drying, curing—all mastered effortlessly. Even individual parts of the fish can become standalone dishes, winning over skeptics and making mouths water.

Hunan, blessed with "Three Xiangs and Four Rivers"

The Hunanese bond with fish begins with the province’s nickname. "Xiang" refers to its geographic tapestry of three Xiang regions and four rivers—the Xiang, Zi, Yuan, and Li Rivers, plus Dongting Lake—nourishing the entire land. Every native Hunanese grows up close to water: listening to boatmen’s chants along the Xiang River, dangling feet on Dongting ferries, or catching shrimp in western Hunan’s streams... This intricate water network is a lifeline, a transport route, and a source of fresh, abundant food.

Hunan boasts over 200 native fish species, not counting common freshwater varieties. Locals meticulously select the tastiest for their tables. Their names for fish are delightfully quirky—newcomers might struggle with terms like "Xianzi fish" (crucian carp), "Diaozi fish" (blue knife fish), or "Wazi fish" (bigmouth catfish). These monikers, rooted in Hunan dialect, are affectionate, catchy, and deeply tied to daily life.

The undisputed favorite is "Yellow Duck Call," aka yellow catfish. Small but with thick, sparse bones and tender, flaky meat, it’s a staple in Hunan homes. Simmered with tofu, spiced with green peppers and perilla, its broth is irresistibly savory. Shared among friends—one fish per person, one bowl of soup each—it’s pure comfort.

Hunan’s damp, chilly climate breeds bold, fiery flavors. Cooking fish here emphasizes wok hei, heat, and rustic flair. In a searing wok, flames and metal work in harmony, layering the fish with spice and aroma through constant tossing and boiling.

Yueyang, by Dongting Lake, cooks "lake fish in lake water" for hotpot or dry pot dishes, always served piping hot. The "Baling Whole Fish Banquet"—a dozen fish-centric dishes from snacks to mains—is their ultimate hospitality.

Along the Xiang River, fish markets thrive. Locals prize freshness: only just-caught, just-cooked fish will do. "Live Fish Boil" is a riverside specialty—chunky fish simmered in spring water with minimal seasoning yields a milky, hearty broth.

In idyllic western Hunan, rice paddies double as fish farms, yielding petite, fragrant "rice-flower fish." Chenzhou, near Dongjiang Lake, slices fish for broth-poached rice noodles, a daily staple.

Even fish skeptics may relent at a Hunan table. Beyond steaming or boiling, Hunan transforms fish into unfamiliar, curiosity-piquing forms: "What does *this* taste like?"

For unique inventions, locals nominate fire-dried fish—crispy, a novelty to outsiders, nostalgia to Hunan natives. Called "fish tenderlings," these are childhood catches slow-dried over firewood, turning small fish into chewy, crisp-boned snacks, easy to store and transport.

Stir-frying fish with fermented rice is a Hunan-Jiangxi innovation. Crispy-fried fish meets wine lees and chopped chili, creating a dish so aromatic it intoxicates before the first bite.

Even steamed fish gets a twist: boneless perch chunks, coated in spiced rice flour, steam to perfection, locking in succulence.

Hunan’s damp climate demands preservation—salting, smoking, curing—which serendipitously enhances flavor.

Salt-crusted fish, packed in salt, firms up over time. Washed and cooked, it shines braised, steamed with chili and fermented beans, or otherwise.

Spiced pressed fish, from Yiyang and Changde, blends pickling and smoking. Each family’s secret spice mix locks into the fibers, creating a sweet-numbing, soul-stirring chew. Western Hunan’s cured fish, smoked over hearths in old homes, wraps wanderers’ taste buds in hometown memories.

Beyond meals, Hunan excels at fish snacks—Dongting fish tails, Dongjiang chunks, hairy fish, sliced fish... Portable packs of homesickness for wandering Hunanese.

In Hunan, if you only eat the flesh of a fish, you’ll likely hear elders sigh, "This kid really doesn’t know how to eat!" In this magical culinary paradise, there are plenty of adventurous options to explore. Hunanese have mastered every part of the fish—not just the common head, body, and tail, but also the skin, bones, offal, and even the simplest fish broth. From these humble ingredients, they’ve crafted numerous signature Hunan dishes.

A masterpiece of Hunan cuisine, proudly presented by the locals.

Walking the streets of Changsha, it’s hard not to wonder at the chain signs for fish-lip hot pot restaurants—can fish lips really make a whole meal? But order a pot, and everything becomes clear. The meat around the fish lips is thick and free of bones, tender enough to soak up the broth. Take a slurp of both meat and soup, and as Hunanese would say, it’s "so delicious it’s unbelievable!"

The fish’s belly is also a treasure trove. People in the lake regions love to pick out the roe and swim bladders, stew them with plenty of chopped chili, and turn them into a roe-and-swim-bladder hot pot. The roe is creamy, the swim bladders crisp—a winter dish that warms both stomach and heart.

Ingredients like fish bones and skin, often seen as scraps elsewhere, are fully embraced on Hunanese tables. Deep-fried fish bones become crispy, spicy snacks, while fish skin dressed with pickled chili and garlic is polarizing—some can’t stand it, others adore it.

Fish broth, however, is the essence of essences. Drink it straight, use it to cook alkaline noodles, or replace water with it to steam a claypot fish rice—all are perfect. But Hunan also has a unique way of enjoying it cold: fish jelly. Straining out impurities, the clear broth is left to set outdoors in winter until it turns into jelly-like fish jelly, best scooped over rice.

The vast Dongting Lake, the long Xiang River—fish in Hunanese life are both the vitality leaping in the waters and the vibrant flavors etched in memory. Through a single fish or a bowl of soup, the daily lives of Hunan people brim with happiness.

Gather around a table, share a single fish,

Cover image & header image | A Zhu