Reservoir Fish on a Wood Fire: Anren Fish Head

柴火一锅鱼头白，紫苏滚浪客三巡 Cháihuǒ yī guō yútóu bái, zǐsū gǔnlàng kè sān xún – One fish head whitens over the wood fire; perilla rolls the waves as guests ask for refills

正文：安仁鱼头 Ānrén Yútóu the Anren fish head is the firewood hotpot that made a small town in Longquan county famous far beyond 丽水市 Lìshuǐ Shì Lishui City – the massive head of a bighead carp from the 紧水滩 Jǐnshuǐtān reservoir, seared then simmered in a wok-wide iron pot over a roaring wood fire, with tofu blocks, ginger, and a fistful of fresh perilla going in as the broth turns milky. The town’s main street rows one fish-head restaurant after another, each claiming the same formula and denying any equal: no spice bomb, no braise – just reservoir fish, hard fire, and time. The fish matter because the cold deep water grows them slow and clean; the wood matters because gas flame, every owner swears, leaves the broth a shade less sweet.

The pot arrives already thundering: a half-moon of fish head splitting the milky broth, tofu riding the bubbles, perilla leaves wilting into the surface. The first ladle is drunk straight – the test every table runs – and the broth passes when it coats the spoon with that reservoir sweetness no recipe can counterfeit.

The protocol is soup first, fish second, vegetables third: drink the broth while it boiles, pick the cheek and collar meat with chopsticks, then let tofu and greens ride the same fire. The perilla is the local hand-sign – a minty, anise-like herb that lifts the richness – and asking for extra is the surest way to flatter the kitchen.

Anren eats fish head as a destination meal: tables of families, plates of local bamboo shoots and mountain mushrooms alongside, and riverside air through the door. Come hungry and in company – a single head feeds four, the refills of broth are free, and the town’s queues on weekend nights are the best review the street ever earned.

Words and Names

What the Locals Know

flowcloud would say Anren fish head is a reservoir distilled into one pot: cold deep water, a wood fire that never apologizes, perilla on the boil – and a town that built its street reputation one milky ladle at a time. All checked November 2026.

Where to find it: Anren fish head lines the main street of Anren town in Longquan county, about an hour from Lishui city – the wood-fired pot is the only way it is served, one head feeds a table of four, soup before everything, and weekend evenings fill the row of restaurants to the door. All checked November 2026.