All soups › Family classics
Milky fish head and tofu soup
魚頭豆腐湯（奶白滾魚頭湯）
“Just off the stove. Drink it while it is hot.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
街市Fish head· a 大魚 head; the modern Hong Kong variation uses a salmon head (framed around heart health and collagen)1, split in half
Method
Pan-fry the fish head with the spring onion and ginger until golden on both sides, then you must add hot boiled water. Cold water will never boil up milky white, and this is the step that decides it.
- Pat the fish head dry and pan-fry it with the spring onion and ginger until golden on both sides.
- Add about 1.5 to 2 litres of hot boiled water.
- Bring to the boil over medium heat, then drop to medium-low and boil for 15 minutes until the soup turns milky white.
- Add the tofu and boil for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt.
Who it suits
- an everyday warming soup for autumn and winter
- the research records traditional claims of brain support (DHA in the fish head) and calcium (tofu); the salmon head version is pitched at heart health, complexion and collagen
Who should take care
- people with gout should be careful with milky fish head soup
- the salmon head version is oilier
Soup stories
A soup shared with the Shanghai and Jiangnan table that long ago settled fully into Hong Kong homes. The salmon head version is the supermarket-era Hong Kong adaptation, since salmon heads are cheap and easy to buy.
From the same family
Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.