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Wellington Chocolate Fish — traditional dish from Wellington, New Zealand
Dessert Vegetarian

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥250kcal
💪2gProtein
🌾35gCarbs
🥑12gFat
🌿2gFibre
⚖️60 gServing

* Per serving · 60 g. May vary.

Allergens

🥛 Dairy 🫘 Soy

Wellington Chocolate Fish

How to order / say it
Say it Wellington chocolate fish — [WEL-ing-tun CHOK-lit fish]
Order Could I have a Wellington chocolate fish?
Say locally

A fish-shaped marshmallow sweet dipped in chocolate and associated with Wellington confectionery culture.

Why try it?

The chocolate fish captures Wellington’s playful, slightly eccentric sweet tooth in a compact local treat. It is a nostalgic café-counter and family-lolly experience, linking the harbour city’s identity with everyday New Zealand confectionery.

How it tastes

The shell cracks softly before giving way to airy, chewy marshmallow. Milk chocolate supplies creamy sweetness, while the vanilla centre keeps the texture light rather than dense.

Origin & History — first documented: 1920

Chocolate fish confectionery became popular in New Zealand during the early twentieth century, when local sweetmakers moulded marshmallow into familiar shapes. Wellington confectioners and corner shops helped make the fish form especially visible in the capital. By the mid-twentieth century, it was a recognisable Wellington souvenir and childhood treat.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 🍯 180 g Dark or milk chocolate
  • 🥣 10 g vegetarian gelatin (agar-based)
  • 🍯 180 g Sugar
  • 🍯 60 g Glucose syrup
  • 🥣 80 ml Water
  • 🥚 1 large Egg white
  • 🧂 2 ml Vanilla
  • 🫒 10 g Cocoa butter

Method

  1. 1 Bloom vegetarian gelatin (agar-based) in cold water and prepare fish-shaped moulds.
  2. 2 Boil sugar, glucose syrup and water to soft-ball stage, then whip into the egg white with vegetarian gelatin (agar-based) and vanilla.
  3. 3 Pipe the marshmallow into the moulds and allow it to set for 2 hours.
  4. 4 Melt the chocolate with cocoa butter, dip each marshmallow fish, and leave to set.
All Oceania recipes — New Zealand — Wellington — Wellington Chocolate Fish
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