Fish Mint
Fish Mint (Houttuynia cordata)
A bold, aromatic Southeast Asian herb with a unique, savoury flavour and striking heart‑shaped leaves 🌿✨
🌿 Fish mint, also known as Rau Diếp Cá, is a vigorous, moisture‑loving perennial widely used in Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao cooking. Its heart‑shaped leaves have a distinctive, savoury aroma that blends herbal, earthy, and slightly marine notes — a flavour that divides opinion but is deeply valued in traditional dishes. In the garden, it spreads enthusiastically, forming dense mats of foliage. Hardy, productive, and easy to grow, fish mint is an excellent herb for adventurous cooks and lovers of authentic Southeast Asian cuisine.
Fish mint has a fresh, tangy, slightly fishy flavour that is highly prized in regional cuisines.
Leaves and stems
The leaves offer a bold, earthy, herbal flavour with a subtle savoury‑marine note. The young stems are crisp and aromatic.
• Used fresh in salads, spring rolls, noodle dishes, and herb platters.
• Often paired with fish, seafood, and spicy dishes where its brightness cuts through richness.
• Young leaves and stems are the most tender and flavourful.
• Can be cooked lightly with vegetables to soften its sharper notes.
Flavour profile: tangy, citrus‑fresh, slightly fishy, savoury with herbal depth.
Roots
The roots are crisp, aromatic, and mildly earthy, with a gentler flavour than the leaves.
• Used in some Vietnamese and Lao dishes
• Add subtle depth to soups, broths, and slow‑cooked dishes
• Can be sliced thinly for fresh herb mixes
• Best harvested from younger plants for tenderness
Root flavour: mild, earthy, lightly herbal
