Clear Water Seafood

Clear Water Seafood

　　Clear Water Seafood

　　Many of the famous dishes have some sort of interesting backstory. Legend has it that in Wencun, there was a woman who became well-known for frying "Xian Yu" (also called "Shui Mian Yu", because the fish swims just beneath the water’s surface, and when sunlight shines through, it reflects a shimmering silver glow). A restaurant owner invited her to cook this dish exclusively at his establishment, which led to booming business.

　　Taishan is situated on a muddy tidal flat at the river mouth, where the sea meets freshwater, resulting in high-quality water with moderate salinity. The seafood produced along the coast in areas like Wencun and Haiyan—such as shrimp, crabs, and oysters—has firm flesh and an especially delicious flavor.

　　The variety here is naturally abundant, and unique species such as mudskippers (a type of fish that hides in the mudflats and occasionally jumps onto land) and mud worms are in particularly high demand and hard to find elsewhere.

　　Just cook the seafood in clear water, or with a bit of salt added—that’s the traditional way old fishermen enjoy seafood, aiming to preserve the original taste and freshness. However, outsiders often find that briny freshness quite hard to adjust to, so restaurants also prepare it using various methods like frying, braising, and stir-frying.