Tomato Fish Soup with Snakehead

Cooking StepsHow to cook Tomato Fish Soup with Snakehead step by step

Cooking Process

1. 
   Step 1

   Compared to grass carp, snakehead fish is more nutritious and has no small bones, making it a popular choice for Sichuan pickled fish, boiled fish, and tomato fish. When buying snakehead fish at the market, ask the vendor to fillet it for you.

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2. 
   Step 2

   Wash the snakehead fish thoroughly. The blood along the spine must be completely cleaned out. Trim the fins and soak to remove residual blood.

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3. 
   Step 3

   Remove the rib bones from the fillets.

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4. 
   Step 4

   Starting from the tail end, slice the fillets at an angle.

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5. 
   Step 5

   Cut the fish bones into chunks. Place fillets and bones in two separate bowls. Add 1 tsp salt and 50g scallion-ginger cooking wine to each, mix well to remove fishiness.

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6. 
   Step 6

   After mixing, the water will be very cloudy. Rinse both fillets and bones until the water runs clear. Don’t skip this step — it removes fishiness and makes the fillets cleaner, resulting in much less scum during cooking.

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7. 
   Step 7

   Squeeze excess water from the fillets and pat the fish bones dry with paper towels.

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8. 
   Step 8

   To the fillets, add 1 egg white, 1 tsp salt, 10g cooking wine, and white pepper to taste.

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9. 
   Step 9

   Stir in one direction until evenly mixed.

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10. 
    Step 10

    Add 1 tbsp cornstarch.

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11. 
    Step 11

    Stir until the mixture becomes thick and sticky.

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12. 
    Step 12

    Marinate the fillets for 20 minutes.

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13. Step 13

    When buying tomatoes, choose ones that are red, heavy, and soft. The redder and riper the tomato, the higher the lycopene content. Score a cross on each tomato.

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14. 
    Step 14

    Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about one minute, then peel off the skins.

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15. 
    Step 15

    Dice the tomatoes into small pieces.

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16. 
    Step 16

    Prepare 4 cloves of garlic and 4 slices of ginger.

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17. 
    Step 17

    Pulse in a food processor until finely minced.

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18. 
    Step 18

    Alternatively, mince the ginger and garlic by hand.

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19. 
    Step 19

    Heat oil in a wok and pan-fry the fish bones.

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20. 
    Step 20

    Flip when one side is golden brown.

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21. 
    Step 21

    While frying the other side, push the bones aside and add the minced garlic and ginger to the empty space to fry until fragrant.

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22. 
    Step 22

    Stir-fry everything together evenly.

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23. 
    Step 23

    Add boiling water, cooking wine, and salt. After 2–3 minutes the broth will turn milky white — the longer you simmer, the whiter it gets. Skim off any foam. Taste the broth — it’s already incredibly flavorful!

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24. 
    Step 24

    Remove the fish bones and arrange them at the bottom of a serving bowl. Reserve the fish broth.

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25. 
    Step 25

    In a separate pot, stir-fry the diced tomatoes until soft and mushy. Add chili oil or pickled peppers if desired.

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26. 
    Step 26

    Pour in the reserved fish bone broth and season to taste.

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27. 
    Step 27

    If you use enough ripe red tomatoes, there’s no need for tomato paste at all! Whether to add it is up to you. Takeout tomato fish often relies on tomato paste — it never tastes as good as pure fresh tomatoes. I recommend skipping the paste and using more tomatoes for that natural flavor!

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28. 
    Step 28

    Add the marinated fish fillets and cook just until most of them turn opaque.

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29. 
    Step 29

    Transfer to the serving bowl.

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30. 
    Step 30

    Sprinkle with white sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and chopped scallions. Pour hot oil over the top to release the aromas of the scallions and peppercorns.

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31. 
    Step 31

    Done! Looks appetizing, doesn’t it?

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32. 
    Step 32

    Don’t skip this last step: slice half a lemon.

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33. 
    Step 33

    Squeeze the lemon juice over the tomato fish.

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34. 
    Step 34

    Taste it — tender silky fillets in a savory-sour broth with a hint of lemon freshness. Absolutely delicious!

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