A lot of people think that once they’ve tried dimsum, their experience is complete. But, no. There are over 2,000 dimsum dishes served globally and no singular restaurant or teahouse serves all of them. And among those that serve dimsum, new dishes are added occasionally. A few weeks back, for instance, my husband and I had lunch at Causeway Seafood Restaurant and we chanced upon a dimsum item that we had never seen there before — steamed fish head salted black beans.
It’s hard to explain our reaction upon seeing the chopped fish head, bones and all, in the steamer basket. We were intrigued, excited and apprehensive all at the same time. We’ve always boiled our fish head to make soup dishes. And that means submerging the fish head in water with every imaginable aromatic. Will steaming enable the fish meat to absorb seasonings and spices? Of course, we ordered it if only to satisfy our curiosity.
Our apprehension was uncalled for and our excitement turned to approval after a few mouthfuls. The steamed fish head was sublime. As far as I could tell, the ingredients were very basic — salted (fermented) black beans ginger, garlic, chili and sesame seed oil.
This is my version. I used a whole head of talakitok (trevally); you can opt for some other fish so long as the head is large enough to contain a substantial amount of gelatinous skin which is what really makes this dish delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish head (gills and fins cut off), about 800 grams, chopped into 8 to 10 portions
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 chilis finely chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons fermented black beans
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 leek stalk thinly sliced
- salt optional
Instructions
- Place the fish head pieces in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands, working the seasonings and spices into the fish flesh. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Arrange the fish pieces in 2 to 3 shallow heatproof bowls. Top with leeks. Sprinkle with salt, if you like. Steam over briskly boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Serve hot by itself or with rice.
If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 28 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes 
Burgers with ginger and five spice powder
FISH HEADS???!!! Kill me … You and Sam are so the same. :)
I should have shown the eyes in the photo HAHAHAHA
May i ask, why fish head? Fish heads are just like its bones. How can we eat it that way? Your post looks lovely though and so yummy. Thank you for posting!
Just bones? No they’re not! Just common misconception. The head is the TASTIEST part of the fish.
Fish heads are very tasty guys. Nagaagawan kami nyan sa bahay espcially if the fish is naturally fleshy. I can’t wait to try this recipe because it has enough ingredients to balance the fishy taste and smell. Thank you for sharing this recipe Ms. Connie:)
Will salmon head work on this dish?
Might. :)
Though I haven’t tried it yet, am pretty sure the dish is so tasty because my fave is fish head. Thanks for being generous with what you learned. I enjoy reading your write-up here, and will be watching for more from you…I am your fan. (Susan of Cagayan de Oro City)
Here in Saudi Arabia, the Hamour (grouper) head is a delicacy among Filipinos. I remember that the grouper head used to be given out free to anybody to the delight of the Filipinos. However, because of the ever growing number of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, the fish heads are now sold, of course, to Filipinos.
Fish heads? haven’t tried that yet. Kinda doubtful if it really taste that good? Thanks for sharing this to us, I might give this a try someday.
i don’t really eat fish heads. will try this recipe using regular fish fillet instead. :)