Tomato and potato fish head soup
Bighead carp head pan-fried until golden, then simmered with tomato and potato into a rich orange broth — tangy, sweet and appetising, a homely soup for early autumn.
- 1 hr
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution has no particular imbalance, but Liqiu's lingering heat calls for dinners that are moistening and appetising rather than drying. Tomato generates fluids and aids digestion, potato strengthens the spleen and boosts qi, and fish head replenishes and warms the stomach. Fried first, then boiled, the soup is rich but never greasy — one for the whole family.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Remove the gills and black membrane from the fish head, rinse, pat dry and rub with a little salt. Cut the tomatoes into wedges; peel the potatoes and cut into chunks.
- 2Heat the oil, add the ginger and fish head and fry over a medium heat until golden on both sides — frying it well removes any fishiness and gives a richer soup.
- 3Push the fish to one side, stir-fry the tomatoes until juicy, then add the boiling water and potatoes and boil hard for 20 minutes.
- 4Turn the heat to medium and simmer for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Season with salt and sugar and scatter with coriander.
Cautions
- Fish heads have many small bones, so take care and strain the soup for young children and older people; use fewer tomatoes if you suffer from acid reflux.
Chef's tips
- Choose a bighead carp head with clear eyes and bright red gills; get the pan really hot before frying so the skin doesn't stick.
The TCM view
Tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold, generating fluids, quenching thirst and aiding digestion. Potato is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and harmonising the stomach; bighead carp head is sweet and warm, warming the stomach and replenishing deficiency; ginger warms the middle and tempers the tomato's coolness. Sour and sweet together nourish yin, and cooling and warming ingredients keep the soup balanced.
