Fish mint

Houttuynia cordata · Herb

40 pairings

Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), also called chameleon plant, heartleaf or by its Vietnamese name diếp cá and Chinese name yúxīngcǎo ("fishy-smell herb"), is a creeping wetland perennial whose heart-shaped leaves carry a startling, polarizing aroma of raw fish and coriander. It is eaten as a raw herb, salad green and medicinal plant across Southeast Asia, southern China, Japan, Korea and northeastern India.

Picking a good onedrag

Just cut, sprigs standing, sharply fishyLimp and blackening, slimy at the tie

Shop freshThe tied bunch as bought, blades whole, stems coloured. Buy it plain green from a grocer selling it as food: garden-centre and pond stock is grown to be looked at, not eaten.Everyday best

How it is soldA named food supplier's pack, kept cool and damp

The leafGreen and whole, the blades relaxing but dry

The stemsStems bend before they snap, cut ends browning

The liftStands, then folds over slowly

Smell at the bunchThere, but you have to crush a leaf to get it

What to look for, from just cut, sprigs standing, sharply fishy to limp and blackening, slimy at the tie.

Preparing