In Malaysia, fish heads are frequently used in curries and in stock for noodle soup. I know, some of you would probably feel squeamish about eating fish heads but according to the Chinese elderly, fish heads are actually very nutritious, especially the eyeballs. They believe that eating the fish eyeball will improve one’s vision. I’m not sure how true is that but it doesn’t matter to me. It being nutritious is not the reason I like it. I enjoy fish heads mainly because they are so flavorful. This is especially true for salmon fish head due to its high fat content. Malaysians love their fish head and this is why it is super expensive back home. Fortunately for us, not many people in Australia knows how to appreciate fish head and therefore it is quite cheap here.

Fish head bee hoon is a very comforting dish and it is great in cold weather. The soup is extremely appetizing with slight sourish taste from the pickled mustard green and tomato. The stock has a really nice aroma as the fish head pieces are deep fried first before they are boiled in the water.

Slurp!~

Salmon Fish Head Bee Hoon (Serves: 4-5)

Ingredients

• 3 salmon fish heads (cut into chunky pieces)
• 200g pickled mustard green (sliced)
• 2cm ginger (thinly sliced)
• 1 tomato (quatered)
• 2 ikan bilis cubes
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbs shao xing wine
• a handful of dried shitake mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
• 1 baby bok choy
• 3 tsp evaporated milk per serving
• salt and pepper to taste
• corn flour
• oil for deep frying
• 3-4 cups water
• rice vermicelli

Methods

1. Rinse the fish heads and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Season the fish heads with salt and pepper. Coat them with corn flour.
3. Heat enough oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Deep fry the fish head pieces in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a pot. Add in garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant.
5. Add in deep fried fish heads and shao xing wine. Stir fry for 1 min over high fire.
6. Add water and ikan bilis cubes. Bring to a boil.
7. Add salt, pepper, tomato, pickled green mustard slices and mushrooms. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 min.
8. In a separate pot, cook the rice vermicelli according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and put it into a bowl.
9. Blanch the baby bok choy in boiling water for 1 min. Drain and put it into the bowl containing the rice vermicelli.
10. Pour the fish head stock over the cooked rice vermicelli. Add in 3 tsp of evaporated milk and serve it warm.

Tagged: bee hoon, bok choy, cold weather, deep fried fish, dinner, evaporated milk, fish head, food, ikan bilis cube, malaysian, noodle, pickled mustard green, rice vermicelli, salmon, shitake mushrooms, soup