Spicy Salt Water Snake

Spicy Salt Water Snake

　　Water snakes were once considered a low-value aquatic product, typically used only for making water snake soup or congee, and were sold for just a few jiao per jin in the past. Over the past decade or so, with the continuous development of food culture, many restaurants have started to skin the live snakes, cut them into pieces, marinate them, and then deep-fry them in oil. Before serving, they are coated with spicy salt. When eating, you bend each piece according to its curled shape to slightly separate the bone from the meat, then tear off the snake meat with your teeth—it’s incredibly fragrant and makes a perfect drinking snack. As a result, water snakes have now become much more valuable, selling for dozens of yuan per jin in the market.