A pet owner made the bizarre decision to cook and eat his beloved fish after it suddenly died.

Disturbing footage shows the deceased pet sizzling in hot oil after being scaled and prepped for cooking in Zhongshan, China, on December 15.

The Blood Parrot Cichlid fish, which the owner had cared for three years, reportedly died after he forgot to switch on the tank's heating system in time.

Being a tropical fish, it requires warmer water of around 30 degrees Celsius to survive.

As the weather grew cold, the fish met its untimely death.

While many expected the man to mourn the loss, he instead chose to turn the fish into a meal.

His uncle joined in, curious about the fish's flavour. To their surprise, they said it tasted remarkably tender.

The Blood Parrot Cichlid is a hybrid fish known for its vibrant orange to red coloration, rounded body, and beak-like mouth.

Created through selective breeding in Taiwan in the 1980s, it does not occur naturally in the wild. These fish are popular in aquariums due to their striking appearance and relatively peaceful temperament.