Ingredient Name: Bartail Flathead Fish
Traditional Chinese Name: 牛鰍 (niú qiū)
What is this?
- This flat headed fish and flat bodied fish is found within the Asian/Indian regions (and South East Asia)
- The fish is brownish and gray in color and is heavily spotted and can grow up to 80 cm for a male
- They tend to live in the sand and muddy areas of the ocean
- This is a common “household” fish used in the Chinese cuisine (and can also be found in Chinese medicine)
How do I prepare it?
- Have the vendor descale and clean the fish for you and cut in half
- At home, you can rinse the inside and the outside of the fish in cool running water
- If you are not cooking the fish immediately, you can slice some pieces of ginger and insert it into the stomach and put in the fridge
Where can I buy this?
- Commonly found in wet marts across Asia and local supermarkets
- The wet mart vendor or seller should descale and remove the insides of the fish for you
- You can have them cut the fish into 2 pieces
What is the cost?
- The price varies, but averages $40 HKD per catty (or per 500 grams)
- An average fish (pictured above) cost around $25 HKD
Any benefits?
- The meat is extremely sweet and one of the ideal fish used in soups
- It’s doesn’t disintegrate easily and a fish bag isn’t necessary if you have the fish in 2 pieces
- Since the shape of the body is unique, the fish is easy to filet and often used in that way when cooked
Any precautions?
- Frying with ginger before soup usage will help the fishiness taste
Additional Information
- For soups, any of the fish posted on this site will suffice as they are generally used for soups and share one thing in common (they are boiled!)
nice soup.