Pine Nut Fish Rice

Last updated 2026-10-22 — Introduction to Pine Nut Fish Rice: Origin: Shanghai, China. History: Pine Nut Fish Rice is a renowned new dish created in the 1970s by the famous chefs Mo Yougeng and Mo Youcai of Shanghai’s Yangzhou Restaurant. In the 1960s, the Mo brothers developed “Pine Nut Shrimp,” which received high praise from customers. Building on that success and drawing inspiration from the Sichuan classic “Sautéed Chicken Rice,” they used mandarin fish meat as the base for the “fish rice,” pine nuts from the northeast as an ingredient, and red and green chili peppers for color. Stir-fried in oil, this dish became known as “Pine Nut Fish Rice.” It features a vibrant color palette, tender and fresh fish, and has become extremely popular among both domestic and international diners. At the end of 1979, a U.S. women’s delegation tasted the dish at the restaurant and specifically wrote in the VIP guestbook: “We especially loved the ‘Pine Nut Fish Cubes.’ We have never seen such a beautifully shaped and deliciously flavored dish, except perhaps in the mountainous region of Colorado in the western United States.” Features: Made by stir-frying mandarin fish or green fish with pine nuts. The finished dish boasts bright colors, snow-white and tender fish rice, crispy pine nuts, and a delicious savory and salty taste. Cooking Method: Debone and skin mandarin fish or green fish fillets, then dice them into fish rice. Mix with Shaoxing wine, fine salt, MSG, a small amount of pepper, egg white, and dry starch to form a paste. Finely chop the red and green chili peppers. First, parboil the pine nuts in oil, then remove them. Heat a wok, coat it with lard, then add oil and heat until it reaches 40% heat. Add the fish rice and separate it with chopsticks. Add chili pepper pieces, and when the oil reaches 60% heat and the fish rice holds its shape, remove and drain the oil. Leave a little oil in the wok, add pine nuts, fish rice, and chili peppers, along with MSG, fine salt, and a small amount of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, thicken slightly with a bit of cornstarch slurry, then drizzle with sesame oil to finish. Awards: At the First National Culinary Masters Technical Performance and Evaluation Conference in 1983, “Pine Nut Fish Rice” made by Li Yaoyun (now a national senior chef), the former special-grade technician of Yangzhou Restaurant, received high praise and earned him the title of National Outstanding Chef.