San Bao Le Xiang (Three-Times-Pickled Shredded Salted Fish)

San Bao Le Xiang (Three-Times-Pickled Shredded Salted Fish)

　　San Bao Le Xiang (Three-Times-Pickled Shredded Salted Fish)

　　The body of the Chinese herring is laterally compressed, with an upward-slanting large mouth, large gill openings, a light bluish back, silvery-white sides and belly, and hard spines on the belly that can prick, hence the name. Chinese herrings are most abundant around the Dragon Boat Festival each year. They have many small bones, but their flesh is tender, flavorful, and rich in fat beneath the scales. When cured, they are called "salted Chinese herring." Any fish that has undergone three rounds of repeated salting is called "three-soaked salted Chinese herring," which keeps well for a long time. When the fish is pickled with distiller’s grains, it becomes the long-renowned "fermented Chinese herring." San Bao Le Xiang is made by salting the fish more than three times, then steaming it with duck eggs, ham slices, ginger slices, and yellow rice wine as complementary ingredients. The resulting dish features tender reddish meat and a delicious salty taste, making it a traditional home-style delicacy in Zhoushan.