Steamed fish head is dish that is foreign to me growing up on Penang. Over on the island, we usually cook fish heads (Groupa preferred, red snapper is ok too) with a heavy dose of curry, and it involves really only the head.
Over at KL, Asian Carp is the preferred fish for a fish head dish, and by fish head it is actually pretty much half a fish. One of the most famous restaurants to serve up this classic dish within Klang Valley is Chong Yen steamed fish head at Chan Sow Lin. My badminton buddies took me there just a couple weeks ago for my first trial at this place.
Chong Yen steamed fish head at Chan Sow Lin
The restaurant is located at the light industrial area at Chan Sow Lin. While the restaurant is usually packed during lunch time, parking isn’t usually a difficult affair.
We had to wait for some 5-10 minutes before securing an empty table, but once ordered, those steaming hot seafood (well, freshwater-food actually) came within 10 minutes. I was quite impressed by their speed.
steamed fish head – original style with garlic & ginger
For the four of us, we ordered three steamed fish head. The classic style with minced ginger and plenty of garlic is the one I like most. The fish was super fresh, with the meat soft, smooth, and absolutely delicious. The version with fermented soya bean were good too, but I think the stronger tasting ingredient somehow masks too much of the fish’s original taste.
There are only two preparation methods here, and each portion is good enough to share between two person. Three for four of us was a bit of an overkill, but I have friends with very healthy appetites, so..
yong tau foo, pork, vege, and steamed fish head with fermented soya bean
Other than steamed fish head, they also serve pretty decent yong tau foo, rather good pork with muay choi, vegetable, roast chicken, and a few other dishes.
If you love steamed fish, this is definitely one place you should check out.
Address:
Chong Yen Steamed Fish Head
No. 22-24, Jalan 2/89C
Off Jalan Chan Sow Lin 4
55200 Kuala Lumpur
GPS:Â 3.11811, 101.71358
Tel: 012-231 8129
Hours: Lunch
gosh, this place has been on my wanna-try radar ever since i moved to kl … but it’s now so many years later, and i still haven’t been here. save me the eyes, you know i love fish eyes! 😀
Sean: sounds like that’s a loooong time ago. hahaha.
Wah lau…. 3 fish heads between 4… power la u!
Baby Sumo: my friends claimed that they used to have 3 fish heads for 3 of them!
Hi, any chance to provide the price for one fish head? Thank you
Kit: I believe it was around RM 18-20 per fish head.
Thanks KY, very competitive price. I think I should go there, as normally I paid around RM25-30. Most important..it does look yummy!
Kit: do it! 😀
I don’t mind steamed fish but if it comes to the head, I would very much prefer curry…or asam.
suituapui: why not both? 😀
The steam fish looks really yummy! And I didn’t know that it’s not a famous dish in Penang. I thought steam fish is famous everywhere in Malaysia coz I have been eating steam fish everyday in Sabah. =O
Joyceanne: haha ya, penang we either steam the whole fish, or curry the head.
Looks good! Expensive tak?
Ken: rather reasonably priced.
you are making me hungry!! and i miss tai chow dishes so muchhhhh!!! grrrr
eiling: hahaha time to cook more!
wahh.. i wanna go try another steam fish shop liau
taufulou: make it happen!
Let’s have steamed fish tomorrow for lunch KY! Hehehe
missyblurkit: lets!
I just want to say… 😉 Just had it with my buddies …. ordered 3 steam fish, steam chicken, veg and pork dish. It’s delicious.
Eric: good to hear!