At the table
Ladle into a small bowl and eat with a spoon as part of a shared meal. Let hot soup cool slightly, and still watch for stray bones despite the careful deboning.
Contains fish; tofu skin contains soy, and peanut oil may be used. Cooking wine, stock and seasonings vary, so check ingredients and cross-contact with the kitchen. Small fish bones may remain after deboning. A pale broth does not by itself establish that the soup is dairy-free or gluten-free. Serve the fish fully cooked and take care with hot soup.
Grass carp and bighead carp versions are documented. Loofah, carrot, wood ear, tofu skin, ginger, scallion and dried tangerine peel vary by cook. The thickener may be cornstarch or water-chestnut starch; peanut oil, cooking wine and other seasonings also vary. Ask which stock, oil and thickener are used.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Grass carp and bighead carp versions are documented. Loofah, carrot, wood ear, tofu skin, ginger, scallion and dried tangerine peel vary by cook. The thickener may be cornstarch or water-chestnut starch; peanut oil, cooking wine and other seasonings also vary. Ask which stock, oil and thickener are used.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savoury fish broth with a light sweetness from vegetables, ginger warmth and a subtle dried-tangerine-peel aroma. Pepper may add gentle warmth; the representative preparation contains no chilli.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Silky, lightly thickened broth with tender fish flakes, soft tofu-skin ribbons and small pieces of vegetables. It should remain spoonable rather than set like a jelly.
- How it’s made
- The fish is typically pan-fried and cooked in water or broth, then removed so its flesh can be picked from the bones and broken into small flakes or shreds. The fish returns to the broth with finely cut vegetables and aromatics; a little starch slurry gives the soup its smooth body.
Grass carp and bighead carp versions are documented. Loofah, carrot, wood ear, tofu skin, ginger, scallion and dried tangerine peel vary by cook. The thickener may be cornstarch or water-chestnut starch; peanut oil, cooking wine and other seasonings also vary. Ask which stock, oil and thickener are used.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Guangdong.
About this regional connection
Guangdong: Shunde cooked flaked-fish thick soup;also documented in Guangzhou.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有顺德拆鱼羹吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
The care behind a bowl of soup
Shunde's fish cookery includes chai: separating cooked flesh from the bones for a new dish. This soup turns that careful work into a smooth shared bowl, with finely cut accompaniments rather than a whole fish on the plate.