Rural Fish

Rural Fish

　　Rural Fish

　　 The mountainous water is sweet and clean, which helps raise fish with excellent texture. When visiting Nanxiong, you must try Hakka-style rural fish. The water in Nanxiong is one of the sources of the Beijiang River—mountain spring water that flows directly down from the Lingnan Mountains, making it incredibly fresh and sweet. In the rural areas, families commonly raise fish in mountain ponds surrounded by hills, resulting in tender, smooth-textured fish with a subtly sweet flavor. The Hakka people enjoy cooking it into a rich, fragrant, and slightly spicy fish soup with tofu and chili. The tofu is also made with mountain water, and when paired with the equally tender fish, the textures complement each other perfectly. To enhance the aroma of the fish, it is first pan-fried with ginger and scallions before being simmered together with tofu and chili. The fish absorbs the flavors without falling apart, and both the fish and the soup make a delicious accompaniment to rice.