Suan Cai Yu（Boiled Fish with Sichuan Pickles）

Suan Cai Yu, or Boiled Fish with Sichuan Pickles, is a classic Sichuan dish. Its tangy and appetizing broth pairs perfectly with fork-tender, boneless fish fillets. Each mouthful is a thrilling mix of savory and spicy flavors that awakens the palate. It’s incredibly satisfying when enjoyed with a bowl of steamed rice, making for a truly invigorating meal.

The dish may seem complex, but you can easily recreate that authentic restaurant-style flavor at home by mastering a few key steps. Below, I’ll guide you through the process with the most detailed and simplified method, guaranteed for first-time success!

What Is Suan Cai Yu?

Suan Cai Yu story

There are quite a few legends about the origin of Suan Cai Yu. In fact, it was the combination of innovations by Jianghu-style (unconventional, down-to-earth) chefs and home-style cooking that gradually made it popular.

Since the place where this dish originated belonged to Sichuan Province before Chongqing became a municipality directly under the Central Government in 1997, both Sichuan and Chongqing regard it as their local specialty.

As a representative of Sichuan’s “Jianghu Cuisine,” Sour Cabbage Fish also perfectly embodies the innovation and vitality of modern Sichuan cuisine.

What does SuanCai taste like?

The five flavors in Suan Cai Yu aren’t just thrown in randomly; each has a specific job in the pot, working together to create the final masterpiece.

Sourness: Its job is to cut the grease and wake up your appetite. Eating just fish can feel heavy, but the pickles make the broth light and refreshing. One bite and your stomach is ready for more.

Fragrant: Its job is to seduce you. The aroma of the pickles, the fish, and the scorched scent of garlic, peppercorns, and chilies sizzled in hot oil—just one whiff and you’re drooling.

Mala: Its job is to create that tingly, electric sensation. It makes your tongue vibrate slightly—a unique feeling that instantly reminds you this is Sichuan cuisine.

Spicy: Its job is to deliver a direct punch. It’s powerfully spicy and exhilarating, jolting your taste buds awake. Breaking a sweat while eating it is part of the fun.

Umami: Its job is to form the foundation and leave a lasting impression. The fish fillets are tender and silky, soaked in the essence of the broth. That final sip of soup, with its solid, savory richness, will linger on your palate long after the meal.

These five flavors are not merely layered; they are deeply intertwined. The sourness cuts the grease, the fragrance entices, the mala tingles delightfully, the spiciness exhilarates, and the umami lingers. A single bite fully awakens the senses, making each subsequent one more irresistible than the last.

Ingredients for Suan Cai Yu

What fish to choose?

I like using blackfish for Suan Cai Yu because of its firm, springy texture. It holds up perfectly during cooking and doesn’t fall apart. I just have the fishmonger slice it for me to save time.

My grandmother, on the other hand, always chooses basa fish. For her, the complete absence of bones and the ease of preparation make it especially suitable for the elderly. However, cooking this type of fish requires real patience—it falls apart easily if slightly overcooked. You have to stay by the stove the entire time, watching the heat closely. That unwavering vigilance at the stove has become a reflection of her meticulous care.

	Blackfish	Basa/Swai	Tilapia	Sea Bass
Key Feature	King of Texture	Ultimate Convenience	Budget-Friendly Star	Flavor Champion
Texture	Very firm, springy, chewy	Very tender, falls apart easily	Tender, fine-flaked	Delicate, buttery
Bones	Mainly large bones	Completely boneless	Almost no small bones	Mainly large bones
Preparation	Needs skilled slicing	Ready to cook	Easy to prepare	Requires some skill
Cooking Difficulty	★★☆☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆
Best For	Restaurant-quality meals	Those wary of bones, quick meals	Family meals, great value	When premium flavor is the goal

Choose sauerkraut

When making Chinese sour cabbage soup, remember this simple tip: don’t use fresh, lightly fermented cabbage — it won’t be tangy enough and can taste too firm. Instead, pick up a vacuum-sealed bag labeled “Old-Tan Pickled Cabbage” from an Asian grocery store. Check the ingredients list for “lactobacillus-fermented” — that means it’s naturally sour and has a richer taste.

Once you open the bag, slice the cabbage into strips about 1 cm wide, then soak them in cool water for 10–15 minutes. This helps reduce the saltiness so your soup won’t end up too salty. After soaking, just squeeze out the extra water with your hands.

Seasoning Area

Before starting, please prepare all these seasonings.

Scallion & ginger

Dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns (both essential in authentic Sichuan cuisine).

Minced garlic

That’s how you build real Sichuan flavor, step by step.

Cooking steps

Separate the sliced fish fillets from the bones/head and place on different plates.
Fish bones/head: Rinse and set aside for making the soup base. Remove after broth turns milky white.
Fish slices: Marinate with ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp cooking wine, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 egg white, and 1 tbsp starch. Mix well—this keeps the fish tender and intact.

Rinse 300g pickled mustard greens, squeeze dry (key step), and cut into bite-size pieces. Stir-fry in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant and no excess moisture remains. Set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pot over low heat. Add:
2 scallions (cut into sections)
4 slices ginger
5 garlic cloves (lightly smashed)
8-10 pickled chilies (halved)
Stir-fry until fragrant, then add the pre-fried mustard greens.

Add the fish bones/head and pan-fry until lightly browned.
Pour in 1.5L boiling water (must be boiling for a white, rich broth).
Season with 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, and ¼ tsp white pepper.
Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes to let flavors fully develop.
Remove the fish bones/head (my grandma loves eating the fish head!).

Keeping the broth at a gentle simmer, slide in the marinated fish slices one by one. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until opaque and set.
Pour everything—broth and fish—into a large bowl already containing the pickled greens and fish bones.

10-12 dried chili segments
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 thinly sliced scallion
Heat 3-4 tbsp oil until smoking and pour it over the toppings to sizzle and release the aroma.