Shiwan Fish Roe

Shiwan Fish Roe

　　Shiwan Fish Roe is one of the specialties of Shiwan. The fish roe from Taodou Restaurant is made with premium ingredients using a unique method. It features a golden-yellow color, a soft and smooth texture, rich and savory flavor, and is suitable for both soups and stews.

　　　Shiwan Fish Roe is a traditional famous dish from Shiwan, Foshan. The fish roe is made from mud carp meat and fresh eggs, then deep-fried. It can be used in braised dishes or added to soup. The fish roe has a fragrant, dry taste, a tender and smooth mouthfeel, and a distinctive flavor that is suitable for all ages.

　　　　Shiwan Fish Roe has a long history. In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a poor scholar in Shiwan. One day, several friends from the capital came to visit him. Back then, when someone visited your home, you naturally had to cook a meal to entertain them. But he was just a poor scholar and could not afford to buy groceries from the market. He thought: I need to serve a meal to my guests, but I only have some rice—what can I offer? Fortunately, the night before, the north wind had blown, so many mud carp in the fishponds must have died from the cold. Why not go and collect some?

　　　　After collecting the dead fish, he realized he couldn’t serve them directly to his guests. So he came up with a solution: using a knife, he removed the flesh from the fish, then scraped the meat off the bones with the back of the knife, ensuring he only got the mud carp meat. Then he kneaded, squeezed, and pounded the meat by hand until it became sticky and gelatinous. He seasoned the mixture with water and cooked it until done. When it was ready, he told his guests, “Today I only have one decent dish—hope you don’t mind.” He then served them this pot of mud carp gelatin.

　　　　When the guests saw the pot of mud carp paste and took a sniff, they were greeted by a delicious aroma. When they picked it up with their chopsticks, it felt soft; when they put it in their mouths, it was fluffy and springy. They all thought it was a wonderful dish and asked the scholar how he had made it and what it was called. The poor scholar had never tried it himself and thought others might assume it tasted like moldy tofu. So he said, “This dish is called ‘fish tofu’—it’s tofu made from fish.” His friends all praised it as extremely delicious, saying it had the fresh aroma of fish along with the softness of tofu. “This must be a great dish!” Eventually, everyone agreed that the dish was both soft and flavorful with a delicious fish taste.

　　　　After seeing off his friends, the poor scholar thought, if these simple ingredients can make such a good dish, maybe I can turn this into a business. He started buying the raw materials at low prices. With time on his hands, he refined the process: after scraping out the fish meat, he scooped it with a spoon and dropped it into a wok of oil to deep-fry until golden brown. After removing it and draining the oil, he would sell it. When customers wanted to eat it, they could use it to make soup or pair it with other ingredients to prepare the fish roe in various ways.

　　　　Because the product was very popular, it spread widely throughout the Lingnan region.