Silverfish from Dalong Lake in Shanglin

Silverfish from Dalong Lake in Shanglin

　　The mysterious Dalong Lake on the Tropic of Cancer is abundant with small silverfish, making them an eco-friendly aquatic specialty of Shanglin County, the "green backyard" of Nanning. These tiny creatures are entirely transparent, scaleless, and boneless, with a delicious taste. Silverfish are not only rich in nutrients such as protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins, and especially essential amino acids—offering high nutritional value—but they also help nourish yin, moisten dryness, nourish blood, and support fetal development, benefiting the nervous and skeletal systems of unborn babies.

　　There’s an art to cooking silverfish. In summer, they can be simmered with winter melon for a refreshing and tasty soup. In winter, dried silverfish can be soaked and then stir-fried with soybeans or duck eggs, or coated in flour and deep-fried—the taste is simply wonderful. The owner of “Longxin Fish Restaurant,” Sister Qin, has her own unique frying method, and her crispy yet tender silverfish often sells out quickly once served. There are two types of dried silverfish: one is naturally sun-dried, and the other is gently oven-dried. The oven-dried ones have a light yellow color, and dried silverfish should be soaked for about 40 minutes before cooking.

　　The small silverfish are delicate, transparent, silver in color, and free of any fishy smell. They’re delicious but quite difficult to catch. Freshly caught silverfish cost 40 yuan per kilogram, while dried ones are 200 yuan per kilogram. According to locals, silverfish only come out at night. Taking advantage of their attraction to light, fishermen set out in boats at dusk to lay nets, using a lamp to lure the fish in, and then haul them in at 4 a.m. Silverfish are highly nutritious, low in fat and high in protein, scaleless, boneless, spineless, and gutless, with a delicious flavor that suits all ages. Ms. Wang, who visited Dalong Lake in Shanglin from Nanning, bought two kilograms of dried silverfish. She said the fish were so tasty that she’d regret not bringing some home.

　　Source: Shanglin Tourism Website